EU backs fertilizer plants amid gas squeeze

Brussels has put Europe’s gas‑exposed fertilizer industry at the centre of its new Fertilizer Action Plan, warning that high energy costs and plant closures threaten the region’s nitrogen capacity and long‑term food security. The Commission says natural gas accounts for around 70–80% of nitrogen fertilizer production costs in Europe and that plants representing about 9% of EU ammonia capacity have already shut permanently, with more assets lying idle.