Fertilizer International 526 May-Jun 2025
6 May 2025
ATOME awards Casale $465 million EPC contract
ATOME has signed a definitive engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract with Casale for its Villeta project in Paraguay.
The 260,000 t/a capacity project will produce low-carbon calcium ammonium nitrate (CAN) and is the first of its kind in the Mercosur region. It will be powered using 100% renewable baseload hydroelectricity from the adjacent Itaipu dam.
“Once constructed, the Villeta project will service a developed and ready market in the heart of the largest food-producing region in the world, meeting critical demand for low-carbon fertilisers from the agriculture and food sectors,” ATOME said in a statement.
The $465 million, fixed-price, lump-sum contract commits Casale to completing the Villeta project and starting production within 38 months of the final investment decision (FID). ATOME is aiming to make the FID for the project in the first half of 2025.
The signing of the contract follows Casale’s appointment as EPC Contractor in November last year (Fertilizer International 524, p31) and the recent announcement of Hy24 as a major equity investor in the project (Fertilizer International 525, p10). Advanced engineering work has already started in Paraguay, according to ATOME, this being consistent with the current timeline for project start-up and the first sales of green fertiliser in 2028
Olivier Mussat, ATOME’s CEO, said: “ATOME is delighted to announce the signing of our EPC Contract with Casale, on time and on track to our project schedule. This underscores our ability to deliver final agreements and marks another milestone achieved as we advance to reach FID for the Villeta Project towards the end of H1 2025. Casale is a world leader in ammonia and fertiliser engineering, and I have every confidence in the team as the right partners to deliver our flagship project in Paraguay, the first green fertiliser facility of its kind.”
Federico Zardi, CEO of Casale, said: “We at Casale are immensely proud to be an integral part of ATOME’s world-first green fertiliser Villeta project in Paraguay. For over a decade, Casale has been advancing the development of CO2 emissions-reduction technologies in fertiliser production. Through these technological advancements, we are delivering an extremely optimized design at Villeta, setting a precedent for sustainable fertiliser production at costs that are competitive with, or even lower than, conventional ‘grey’ fertilisers, paving the way to a sustainable agricultural future.”
He continued: “This partnership reaffirms our role as pioneers in the industry, consistent with our historical trajectory and DNA. It is an honour to work alongside a company that is as committed to innovation and sustainability as we are, and we are confident in ATOME’s ability to execute on this project, successfully scaling and leading this first green fertiliser platform.”
The EPC contract forms a part of the total estimated cost of $625 million for the Villeta project.
