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Sulphur 419 Jul-Aug 2025

16 July 2025

Karatau expansion onstream next year

KAZAKHSTAN

Karatau expansion onstream next year

EuroChem says that it expects the Phase III expansion project at its Karatau phosphate development in Kazakhstan to be onstream by 2026. In its Annual Report, EuroChem says that it signed an agreement with the China National Chemical Engineering Co. in May 2024 for the engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning of the chemical complex, and construction is now underway. The company says that it has also had state permits for the construction of additional sulphuric acid production, where the installation of large-capacity equipment is already underway and the first product is expected in 2026. The fertilizer plant is expected to have a capacity of around 1 million t/a, with a construction cost of $1.1 billion for the project. Phosphate reserves at Karatau are put at 41 million tonnes.

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New phosphoric acid plant

Egypt’s Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Karim Badawi and New Valley Governor, Mohamed Al-Zamlout were present at the signing of a framework agreement between a consortium of Egyptian public companies to build a new phosphoric acid plant at Abu Tartour in the New Valley region. The project aims to maximise added value and increasing the economic return on Egyptian phosphate ore by using it in higher-yield industries rather than exporting it as a raw material. The Egyptian state-owned consortium includes Abu Qir Fertilizers; East Gas Company, Mineral Resources and Mining Industries Authority; Misr Phosphate, AT-PHOS, Petroleum Projects and Technical Consultations Company (PETROJET), and Engineering for the Petroleum and Process Industries (ENPPI), all of which are shareholders in the project. The contractor agreement was signed with a Chinese consortium of China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC) and East China Engineering Science and Technology Co (ECEC).

Sonatrach awards Saipem phosphate project FEED contract

Saipem has won a front-end engineering design (FEED) contract from Sonatrach for an integrated phosphate fertilizer project in Algeria. The contract was awarded through a dual competitive process, enabling the design work to be conducted by both Saipem and a competitor company. Sonatrach will assess and compare the two FEED options from both parties, select the best technical and economic design, and then proceed with the direct award of an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract to execute the project.