Africa
11 March 2026
NEXTCHEM wins €485m West Africa mega‑deal
Written by Natalie Noor-Drugan
MAIRE’s technology arm NEXTCHEM has secured its largest contract to date, a €485 million ($563 million) package to license technologies, deliver process design packages and supply critical proprietary equipment for three world‑scale nitrogen and methanol complexes in West Africa, although the client has not been disclosed and is currently unknown. The deal, which is subject to a final investment decision (FID) except for engineering work already under way, will see NEXTCHEM deploy its proprietary NX AdWinHydrogen®, NX AdWin® Combined, NX STAMI™ Ammonia and NX STAMI™ Urea technologies across multiple sites.
Three complexes, integrated technology suite
The award covers two large nitrogen fertiliser complexes focused on urea granules production and a third plant that will integrate ammonia and methanol co‑production. In total, the scope includes five hydrogen units, five ammonia units – including one ammonia‑methanol co‑production unit – four urea‑melt trains and six urea‑granulation units, spread across three separate locations in West Africa.
Of the overall €485 million value, around €10 million ($12 million) relates to engineering activities that have already started and will be recognised in the pre‑FID phase, with the remaining value tied to the final investment decision. NEXTCHEM notes that this package is the most significant single contract it has ever been awarded and marks the first integrated and combined application of technologies and engineering services from its subsidiaries Stamicarbon, GasConTec and KT Tech.
High‑capacity fertiliser and methanol output
The two nitrogen fertiliser plants will be designed around NX AdWinHydrogen®‑based autothermal reforming units feeding NX STAMI™ Ammonia plants, along with NX STAMI™ Urea technology for both melt and granulation sections. According to the company, the configuration will support an overall urea production capacity above 3 million tonnes per year.
The third complex will combine ammonia capacity of more than 900,000 tonnes per year with methanol output above 600,000 tonnes per year. One unit in this plant will co‑produce methanol and ammonia using NEXTCHEM’s ATR‑based NX AdWin® Combined technology, described as a large‑scale high‑pressure solution for sequential or parallel production of the two products.
GasConTec at the core of hydrogen and methanol
Both the NX AdWinHydrogen® and NX AdWin® Combined technologies deployed in the West African projects have been developed by GasConTec, NEXTCHEM’s subsidiary focused on low‑carbon hydrogen and methanol solutions. The hydrogen units are intended to efficiently generate syngas at the scale required for downstream ammonia and methanol plants, forming the backbone of the complexes’ feedstock strategy.
By integrating GasConTec’s ATR platforms with Stamicarbon’s fertiliser process know‑how and KT Tech’s engineering services, NEXTCHEM positions the three complexes as reference projects for large‑scale, integrated hydrogen, ammonia, urea and methanol production. For now, the identity of the “major client in West Africa” commissioning the plants has not been disclosed and remains unknown.
Leadership sees “landmark award”
Fabio Fritelli, Managing Director of NEXTCHEM, described the contracts as a pivotal moment for the business. “This is a landmark award, which leverage on NEXTCHEM’s integrated expertise across the hydrogen, ammonia, urea, and methanol value chains,” he commented. “It reinforces our position as a leading technology partner for large, integrated industrial projects, demonstrating the scalability and complementarity of our proprietary technologies.”
