Category: Middle East

An update on the impacts of the Middle East conflict on fertilizer markets.

Topsoe has signed a FEED agreement for Hynfra’s green ammonia project located in the port of Aqaba, Jordan. The FEED is the detailed engineering and design of the plant, and Topsoe’s ammonia synthesis technology will be part of this design. The plant will convert green hydrogen to ammonia based on Topsoe’s ModuLite™ platform. Kim Hedegaard, CEO […]

The US and Israel attacks on Iran and the Iranian response have thrown commodity markets into chaos, with sulphur and sulphuric acid particularly affected.

Following an increase in its processing capacity, Duqm Refinery is now looking at further expansion projects at the $9 billion refinery project located, in the Special Economic Zone at Duqm (SEZAD) on Oman’s southeast coast. The refinery, which now has an expanded capacity of 255,000 bbl/d, is run by OQ8, a joint venture between Kuwait Petroleum International (KPI) and Oman’s OQ Group. Speaking to local media, CEO Abdulla Al Ajmi said that OQ8 has now begun front end engineering design on a reformer unit to upgrade naphtha into high-octane gasoline components such as reformate, a critical step in producing finished, specification-grade fuels. In addition to the proposed reformer unit, Duqm Refinery is also exploring opportunities to enhance value creation from its refining by-products, notably sulphur and coke.

The Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) has awarded global oilfield services firm SLB a five-year integrated contract worth about $1.5 billion for the next phase of development at Kuwait’s Mutriba oil field. The contract covers design, development and production management work and builds on SLB’s existing subsurface studies of the Mutriba field. It includes development of high-pressure, high-temperature reservoirs with sour conditions, expanding SLB’s scope as the project moves into more technically complex stages. SLB says that the award reflects its long-standing partnership with KOC and gives the company end-to-end responsibility for planning and execution as field development progresses.

Topsoe says that it has been selected as the ammonia technology licensor for ACWA’s Yanbu Green Hydrogen Project in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The process will enable green hydrogen from the Yanbu Project to be converted into ammonia. Topsoe will also deliver engineering, proprietary equipment and catalysts to Sinopec and Tecnicas Reunidas, who have jointly been awarded the front-end engineering design (FEED) contract.

Polymer manufacturer Covestro has signed a memorandum of understanding with ammonia and urea exporter Fertiglobe and chemical producer TA’ZIZ to explore collaboration across the ammonia and nitric acid value chains. The MoU reflects the parties’ shared interest in assessing both near-term supply solutions and longer-term opportunities supporting the transition toward lower-carbon production pathways. The agreement was signed during the visit of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to the UAE.

The current block to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz places global fertilizer supply chains at risk, warns the International Fertilizer Association (IFA).

Experts from CRU's Assets team will provide an overview of the most and less impacted value chains across the fertiliser, aluminium, steel raw materials and base metals industries.

Amarak Chemicals FZC says that it has begun operations at an automated sulphur fertilizer facility in ...