Fertilizer International 530 Jan-Feb 2026
27 January 2026
Nextchem buys Ballestra
NEXTCHEM has signed a binding agreement to acquire Ballestra Group for around €126.5 million. The announcement was made by Maire – Nextchem’s parent company – on 24th December.
Founded in 1960 and headquartered in Milan, Ballestra is global leader in the licensing, design and engineering of chemical plants, as well as the supply of proprietary technologies and equipment to the chemical industry. The company is known within the industry for its strong intellectual property and R&D expertise. This notably includes pilot plants in Italy and Switzerland, with these serving as innovation hubs for testing and scaling-up new technological processes.
Ballestra operates in more than 120 countries, has around 450 employees, with offices in Europe and Asia, and a proven track record of more than 6,400 chemical plants installed worldwide. Ballestra S.p.A. also acts as a holding group for Buss ChemTech AG (Switzerland) and Ballestra Engineering and Projects Pvt. Ltd (India).
Rome-headquartered Nextchem is already a well-established nitrogen industry player through its Netherlands-based subsidiary Stamicarbon, the world’s leading urea technology licensor. The acquisition of Ballestra will broaden the company’s fertilizer industry offering by extending its footprint into phosphate and potash.
Ballestra notably designs and supplies production plants for sulphuric acid, merchant-grade and purified phosphoric acid (MGA and PPA), single superphosphate (SSP), triple superphosphate (TSP), potassium sulphate (SOP) and granulated NPK fertilizers. It can also implement an integrated approach to phosphate production, offering both MECS technology for sulphuric acid plants and Prayon technology for phosphoric acid plants through its long-term partnerships with both companies.
On top of that, Ballestra also offers a leading fluorine recovery process for phosphate plants through its ownership of Swiss-headquartered Buss ChemTech.
Alessandro Bernini, Maire’s CEO, said: “The acquisition of Ballestra Group is consistent with the business plan already announced and a perfect strategic fit with NEXTCHEM’s purpose of enabling decarbonization through proprietary technologies, while deepening our access to new fastgrowing endmarkets. As clients race to electrify, recycle and improve efficiency, they need partners that combine proven technologies with reliable project delivery. MAIRE is building exactly that: a European technology platform with global reach, able to convert innovation into industrial realities.”
The final purchase price for Ballestra will be subject to adjustments at the closure of the binding agreement. This is expected in the first half of 2026.
