AFC Energy–Komatsu ammonia cracking JV: retrofit pathway for mine fleets
Reviewed by Tom Sullivan
First reported on International Mining – News
30 Second Briefing
AFC Energy has signed a Joint Development Agreement with Komatsu and Komatsu affiliate Industrial Power Alliance to integrate AFC’s proprietary ammonia cracking technology into a Komatsu industrial diesel internal combustion engine. The project will use ammonia as a hydrogen carrier, cracking it on-board to supply low-carbon hydrogen to the engine while retaining existing diesel engine architecture. For mine operators, this points to a potential retrofit pathway for large haul trucks and auxiliary plant without immediate replacement of high-horsepower diesel fleets.
Technical Brief
- Joint Development Agreement formalises a multi-year collaboration framework between AFC Energy, Komatsu and Industrial Power Alliance.
- Scope includes joint design, engine test work and validation of ammonia-cracked hydrogen combustion performance.
- AFC Energy contributes its proprietary cracker reactor design and control systems as the core enabling technology.
- Komatsu’s role centres on engine integration, calibration and durability testing under heavy-duty industrial duty cycles.
- Industrial Power Alliance provides development support on fuel system hardware and combustion system optimisation.
- Work programme explicitly targets industrial-scale internal combustion engines rather than small gensets or light vehicles.
- Agreement structure suggests a staged development path: lab-scale integration, then engine bench tests, then field trials.
Our Take
Among the 1900 tag-matched pieces on Projects, Product and Sustainability, there are relatively few that focus on combustion-side decarbonisation rather than full electrification, so this AFC Energy–Komatsu JV signals OEMs are still hedging with multiple technology pathways for off-highway fleets.
Komatsu appears across our Mining coverage mainly in relation to battery-electric and trolley-assist haulage, so adding ammonia cracking into the mix suggests it is targeting hard-to-electrify duty cycles or regions where grid power and charging infrastructure will lag.
For mining operators, a JV structure between AFC Energy and Industrial Power Alliance indicates that any ammonia-cracking solution is likely to be offered as an integrated engine or retrofit package, rather than a standalone fuel-supply play, which could simplify adoption on existing diesel fleets.
Prepared by collating external sources, AI-assisted tools, and Geomechanics.io’s proprietary mining database, then reviewed for technical accuracy & edited by our geotechnical team.
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