ALGONA &#8212 A northern Iowa company developing alternative fuel engines said Monday it is shipping its first ammonia-powered engine for testing to a California irrigation system operator.

Algona-based Hydrogen Engine Center Inc. said the company’s proprietary 4.9 liter engine is powered with anhydrous ammonia with liquefied petroleum as a catalyst fuel.

Company officials said successful testing of engines powered by anhydrous ammonia could lead to development of gasoline-free engines. An established manufacturing and distribution infrastructure for anhydrous ammonia is in place around the world, the company said. Anhydrous ammonia is frequently used as fertilizer.

“We are developing the means to operate engines effectively on this fuel, and intend to continue to further optimize the platform,” said Mike Schiltz, HEC’s vice president of engine development. “Our engineers and technicians worked diligently to develop our ammonia-powered engine, and now we are ready to unveil the product.”

Hydrogen Engine Center CEO Ted Hollinger said the company’s mission is to reduce dependency on foreign oil by developing products powered with cost effective, carbonless fuel. He said the ammonia-powered engine is one step closer to being a reality.

“We believe that implementing ammonia as a carbonless fuel with our Oxx Power products will open new markets that have been dominated by fossil fuel powered engines for decades,” he said.