Category: Asia

Nickel Industries announced started up the sulphuric acid plant at its new Excelsior Nickel Cobalt (ENC) HPAL project in the final week of June. The ENC Project is a massive, multi-billion dollar high-pressure acid leach (HPAL) facility located in the Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park (IMIP) in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. It is operated by Australia’s Nickel Industries to supply battery-grade materials for the electric vehicle (EV) market. At capacity, it is expected to yield roughly 72,000 t/a of contained nickel equivalent as mixed hydroxide precipitate (MHP), nickel sulphate, and nickel cathode.

Russia has ordered a “temporary cessation” of rail transport of all sulphur originating from Kazakhstan that is destined for Russian seaports and railway checkpoints, representing a significant policy shift, according to an official order from the Federal Agency for Railway Transport (Roszheldor). The directive, which took effect from May 26th, orders a halt to the loading and movement of Kazakh sulphur “until further notice.” While the measure is officially described as temporary, the order provides no specific timeline for when the transit might resume. The action cites instructions from Russia’s First Deputy Prime Minister, D.V. Manturov, as its basis.

Hongda's 100,000 t/a zinc smelter, in China's Sichuan Province, completed scheduled maintenance and equipment upgrading and officially resumed production on 21st June, the company said. The smelter had been shut down for planned maintenance since January, during which time a modernisation project for the electrolytic zinc smelting system was also carried out. Following the nearly six-month revamp, the resumption of production is expected to improve overall operational efficiency, reduce unit production costs, and increase the utilisation rate, The company said. The stable supply of sulphuric acid generated by the zinc smelter will effectively leverage the synergies of the "sulphur-phosphorus" industrial chain in the company, an help alleviate cost pressures on the company's phosphorus chemical business segment.

The board of Yunnan Yuntianhua gave the go ahead for the development of a massive underground phosphate mine in Yunnan province on 14th May. The major Chinese producer part owns the mine project through a 35% stake in its developer Julin New Materials. The other three owners are Yuntianhua Group (55%), Zhaotong Development Group (9%) and Zhenxiong Chanyi Investment (1%).

MEScon Connect: Central Asia 2026 marked the first MEScon event held outside the Middle East, bringing together more than 200 delegates in Almaty to strengthen ties across the global sulphur industry. The conference combined technical, commercial and market sessions, highlighting Central Asia’s growing role in sulphur production, logistics and export connectivity. Angie Slavens of UniverSUL Consulting reports on the key highlights.

The government of Kazakhstan says that the country will build its first ammonia-urea plant at Aktau, in the Mangistau region, with a total investment cost put at $1.6 billion.The Kazakh Industry and Construction Ministry and KazAzot PRIME have signed an investment agreement for the construction of the complex, with commissioning scheduled for 2030. Plant capacity is expected to be 660,000 t/a of ammonia, 580,000 t/a of urea and 500,000 t/a of ammonium nitrate. The government says that the plant will reduce import dependence, supply domestic farmers, and strengthen export potential. By 2030, Kazakhstan’s ammonia production capacity is projected to reach 2.3 million t/a, ensuring self-sufficiency and export growth.

AkzoNobel says that it is providing long-term corrosion protection and chemical and heat resistant coatings for the wind power and chemical processing facilities at the Songyuan Hydrogen Energy Industrial Park. Constructed by China Energy Engineering Group Co., Ltd., it is the world’s largest integrated green hydrogen-ammonia-methanol project. Now on its second phase, the industrial park operates entirely on 100% renewable electricity and is currently focused on producing 45,000 t/a of green hydrogen and 200,000 t/a of green ammonia and methanol.

Metso has been awarded an order to supply key cellhouse process equipment for a zinc smelter expansion project in South Asia. The value of the order was undisclosed, as was the name of the customer, which is one of the leading zinc producers globally.

JERA has signed time charter agreements with NYK Bulkship (Asia) and Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) for four fuel ammonia carriers to support Japan’s first commercial scale low carbon ammonia value chain from the US to Japan.

As Indonesia's nickel industry drives significant import demand of sulphuric acid in recent years, CRU is launching a new weekly CFR Indonesia acid price assessment on 28 May to bring transparency to this key spot market.