Skip to main content

Fertilizer International 526 May-Jun 2025

6 May 2025

ATOME awards Casale $465 million EPC contract

PARAGUAY

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

ATOME and Casale at the latter company’s HQ, Lugano. Switzerland.
PHOTO: ATOME

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.

Latest in Agricultural

Grupa Azoty adds new sulphur fertilizer to its range

Grupa Azoty has launched DuoS® , a new nitrogen–sulphur fertilizer. Its formulation is based on ammonium sulphate, ammonium nitrate and anhydrite and includes two forms of nitrogen – nitrate and ammonium; two sulphur sources – ammonium sulphate and anhydrite; and calcium to support crop resilience and the quality of produce. The new nitrogen–sulphur fertilizer with added calcium is designed to improve nutrient use efficiency and reduce leaching and other nutrient losses. It is recommended for pre-sowing and top dressing on winter and spring cereals, winter rapeseed, sugar beet, potatoes, legumes, grassland, as well as vegetables and fruit crops. Grupa Azoty says it is introducing DuoS® in the current season as part of a strategy to develop its fertilizer business and focus on specialty products.

Canadian government underwrites phosphate feasibility study

First Phosphate Corp. says that it has finalised an agreement for a C$16.7 million non-repayable contribution from the Government of Canada via Natural Resources Canada’s Global Partnerships Initiative. The company says that the funding will accelerate the development of its phosphate project in Bégin-Lamarche by developing the technical and engineering parameters – including processing circuits and equipment – needed to validate the ability to produce a phosphate concentrate that meets the quality requirements of the lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery market. The work will be conducted based on parameters established under the contract between First Phosphate and its definitive offtaker.