Construction has begun on the $3.7 billion Blue Point One ammonia plant in Modeste, Louisiana, advancing a major new source of ammonia production designed to serve both fertilizer markets and emerging energy applications.
The project is being developed by a joint venture between CF Industries, JERA and Mitsui, with CF Industries holding a 40% stake, JERA 35% and Mitsui 25%.
Blue Point One is expected to produce approximately 1.4 million metric tons of ammonia annually when it enters service in 2029. That scale would make the facility one of the world’s largest ammonia plants.
The development also represents a significant expansion of the existing Blue Point industrial complex, where CF Industries is building the facility with infrastructure intended to accommodate additional production in the future.
A major investment in ammonia production
Ammonia has a well-established role in agriculture as a key ingredient in nitrogen fertilizer. Blue Point One is being designed to build on that market while positioning the facility for growing demand for lower-carbon ammonia.
The project is expected to create approximately 3,900 construction jobs over four years. Once operational, it should support more than 100 high-paying manufacturing positions.
CF Industries President and CEO Chris Bohn said the project will expand access to domestic nitrogen supplies while creating opportunities to export American-made ammonia to international markets.
“Most importantly, this facility will serve people, growing access to the reliable, domestic nitrogen supply American farmers need to feed the world.”
The investment also goes beyond the main production unit. CF Industries plans to spend another $550 million on shared infrastructure at the Blue Point Complex, including facilities that can support future ammonia production and fertilizer upgrades.
That additional investment gives the project a longer-term dimension. Rather than building an isolated plant, the partners are developing a site that can support further industrial activity as ammonia demand evolves.
Low-carbon technology at the center
The defining feature of Blue Point One is its planned approach to reducing emissions from ammonia production.
The plant will use autothermal reforming, or ATR, to produce hydrogen for the ammonia synthesis process. It will also incorporate carbon-capture technology designed to capture approximately 98% of the CO₂ generated during production.
Captured carbon dioxide will then move through a separate transportation and sequestration system. A joint venture between 1PointFive, a subsidiary of Occidental, and Enbridge is expected to transport the CO₂ for permanent underground storage.
The arrangement gives Blue Point One an integrated carbon-management system rather than treating carbon capture as a standalone component of the plant.
JERA Global Energy Solutions CEO and Chief Operating Officer of the Low Carbon Fuels Business Irtiza Sayyed described the project as an important step toward developing a broader low-carbon ammonia supply chain.
“Blue Point One reflects this belief, bringing together partners with a shared commitment to build the foundation needed to scale lower-carbon ammonia for the future.”
The technology could give the facility access to customers looking to reduce emissions associated with ammonia while retaining the product’s established uses in agriculture and industry.
Linde adds $400M-plus facility
Another major investment will support the ammonia plant’s basic production requirements.
Linde plans to invest more than $400 million in an on-site air-separation unit. The facility will supply oxygen and nitrogen needed for the Blue Point One production process.
The separate Linde investment, combined with CF Industries’ $550 million infrastructure commitment, means the broader development includes more than $950 million in additional supporting infrastructure beyond the core project investment.
That infrastructure is particularly important because the Blue Point Complex has room for future expansion.
Linking Louisiana production to global markets
Blue Point One is also being developed with international demand in mind.
The project gives JERA access to low-carbon ammonia that can potentially support energy applications in Japan, alongside traditional fertilizer and industrial markets.
That creates a different demand profile from a conventional ammonia plant focused primarily on domestic fertilizer consumption.
For the developers, the project is therefore a bet on ammonia serving two markets at once: the established agricultural supply chain and an emerging low-carbon energy economy.
A major addition to Louisiana’s industrial base
The construction phase will bring thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in capital investment to Ascension Parish.
CF Industries already has a long-standing industrial presence in the area, giving Blue Point One a connection to an established manufacturing base and existing industrial infrastructure.
The new plant will expand that footprint while adding supporting facilities and infrastructure that could enable additional development later.
For Louisiana, the immediate economic impact comes from construction activity, manufacturing employment and investment in the local industrial base.
For the project partners, however, the larger opportunity lies in establishing a major low-carbon ammonia production hub capable of serving agricultural and energy customers.
Construction is now underway, with Blue Point One targeting production in 2029.
Additionally; Blue Point One is not the only major U.S. ammonia project moving toward production with a lower-carbon ambition. In Indiana, the Wabash Low-Carbon Ammonia Project is taking a markedly different route. Wabash Valley Resources is repurposing an idled gasification facility in West Terre Haute to produce 500,000 metric tons of ammonia annually, with Samsung E&A carrying out a $475 million engineering, procurement and fabrication contract. The Indiana project broke ground in January and is also targeting completion in 2029, creating an interesting contrast with Blue Point One’s greenfield development in Louisiana.
Blue Point One Ammonia Plant: Project Factsheet
- Location: Modeste, Ascension Parish, Louisiana
- Investment: $3.7 billion
- Developers: CF Industries, JERA and Mitsui
- Ownership: CF Industries 40%; JERA 35%; Mitsui 25%
- Annual ammonia capacity: Approximately 1.4 million metric tons
- Expected production start: 2029
- Construction jobs: Approximately 3,900
- Permanent jobs: More than 100
- Production technology: Autothermal reforming (ATR)
- Targeted CO₂ capture: Approximately 98%
- CF Industries infrastructure investment: $550 million
- Linde investment: More than $400 million
- CO₂ transportation and sequestration: 1PointFive and Enbridge
- Site: CF Industries’ Blue Point Complex
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