Skip to main content

Nitrogen+Syngas 401 May-Jun 2026

20 May 2026

Power outage shuts Yara’s Pilbara ammonia plant for two months

Power outage shuts Yara’s Pilbara ammonia plant for two months

Yara Australia’s Pilbara facility is expected to remain offline for around two months following a power outage at the site. The incident is understood to have damaged some systems at the facility and that repair work is now required. Initial assessments are indicating a prolonged curtailment of both ammonia and technical ammonium nitrate production.

Pilbara has ammonia capacity of around 850,000 t/a. Most of its output is exported through the Port of Dampier into markets including Taiwan, Thailand, South Korea and Japan, while some volume is directed to the adjacent technical ammonium nitrate plant operated with Orica.

The disruption comes at a particularly sensitive moment for regional nitrogen markets, with seaborne ammonia supply already under pressure from the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz. A two-month outage at Pilbara removes a major non-Gulf source of exportable tonnes for Asian buyers just as alternative prompt supply is becoming more sought after.

Latest in Agricultural

Australia fast-tracks Murchison green ammonia project

Australia’s federal government has selected the Murchison Green Hydrogen project in Western Australia as one of four pilot projects under its newly launched Investor Front Door initiative, a scheme designed to streamline regulatory approvals and fast-track major projects deemed to be in the national interest, the government announced 9 April. The Murchison project, which will use wind and solar energy to produce large-scale green ammonia, is intended to serve as a model for commercial-scale green hydrogen development in Australia and to generate green export opportunities to markets in Asia and Europe. Murchison, being developed by Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners’ (CIP), is expected to have a total production capacity of roughly 1.3 million t/a of green ammonia. The first phase of operations is due to begin in 2029.

CF Industries delays turnaround to ease supply concerns

CF Industries has delayed a planned multi-week maintenance turnaround at its Donaldsonville, Louisiana complex, the world’s largest ammonia production facility, in response to the supply disruption caused by the Strait of Hormuz closure, the producer announced in a press release. The company said the decision is expected to make approximately 100,000 tonnes of additional granular urea available to US customers during the spring application season. CF Industries added that it is also prioritising new sales to domestic customers over higher-priced export orders for the duration of the spring planting season.

SABIC secures feedstock for new plants

SABIC Agri-Nutrients Company says that it has received approval from the Saudi Ministry of Energy to allocate feedstock required for the construction of its seventh plant in Jubail Industrial City. The new facility will produce approximately 1.2 million t/a of ammonia and 2.6 million t/a of urea, increasing the company’s urea production capacity from 4.8 million t/a to 7.4 million t/a; a 54% increase. This is expected to strengthen its position as one of the world’s largest producers and exporters of nitrogen-based nutrients, in line with its 2040 growth strategy.