Decarbonisation
1 April 2026
Tessenderlo Group agrees to buy Cinis Fertilizer's SOP plant
In a rescue move, Tessenderlo Group is set to acquire Cinis Fertilizer’s innovative low-carbon potassium sulphate (SOP) production plant, having signed an asset transfer agreement.
The 100,000 tonne per annum (t/a) capacity plant, located at Köpmanholmen outside Örnsköldsvik in Sweden, has been inoperative since Cinis Fertilizer filed for bankruptcy on 20th January.
“Building on decades of expertise, this milestone strengthens our progress as a global leader in sustainable and efficient agriculture,” Tessenderlo said in a statement on LinkedIn.
The Köpmanholmen plant will be integrated into the operations of Tessenderlo Kerley International, Europe’s largest SOP producer, a move designed to strengthen the companies production footprint and technologies. The purchase is expected to close in the second quarter of this year, subject to approvals.
“With this acquisition, we reinforce our growth ambitions and our commitment to sustainability. It expands our footprint, further diversifies our portfolio of production technologies, and strengthens our ability to serve customers globally with high-quality crop-nutrition solutions,” said Geert Gyselinck, EVP Tessenderlo Kerley International.
Cinis Fertilizer started production at the 100,000 t/a capacity Köpmanholmen plant in May 2024. The plant can also produce 65,000 t/a of sodium chloride as a co-product. It took around 15 months to construct following groundbreaking at the site in February 2023.
The plant is powered by fossil-free energy and can upcycle industrial residues – including sodium sulphate (Na2SO4) from electric car battery manufacturing and ashes from pulp mills – to produce SOP using patented technology based on the glaserite process. This first-of- its-kind production method uses half as much energy as conventional SOP production, according to Cinis.
The plant, which produced 54.9 thousand tonnes of SOP between January-September 2025, never reached full capacity due to commissioning difficulties. Cinis Fertilizer abandoned its 100,000 t/a production target in October last year before suspending production on 5th November 2025 to allow a plant overhaul. The company’s bankruptcy was subsequently approved on 22nd January by Ångermanland District Court who also appointed an administrator.
