Category: Products

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.

Nitrogen+Syngas ’s annual listing of new ammonia, urea, nitric acid and ammonium nitrate plants.

PT Pupuk Kalimantan Timur (Pupuk Kaltim) says that it has begun work on a revamp to its number 2 ammonia plant. The plant, which was originally constructed in 1984, has a capacity of around 1,500 t/d of ammonia. The revamp, which is being carried out internally by Pupuk Kaltim, aims to improve energy efficiency at the ageing plant and reduce carbon emissions, according to the company. The revamp is expected to extend the plant’s operational life, improve production reliability, and support Indonesia’s long-term fertilizer supply amid rising domestic demand.

Madras Fertilizers Limited (MFL) has submitted a proposal for a new $1.1 billion greenfield ammonia-urea manufacturing project in Chennai, aimed at strengthening domestic fertiliser production and reducing import dependence. The company says that the project is aligned with the government’s broader push for self-reliance in critical agri-inputs and improved food security. The proposed plant will have a capacity of 1.3 million t/a of urea and is currently at the feasibility study stage, but MFL says that its existing 1970s vintage plant is already running at 120% of nameplate capacity, and that a new larger scale facility would see significant improvements in output and operating efficiency.

The European Commission (EC) officially proposed to suspend, for one year, the most favoured nation (MFN) duties on imports of several key nitrogen-containing fertilizers and inputs for their production, including ammonia and urea, officials said 24 February. The tariff suspension will be implemented for all countries, except Russia and Belarus, through duty-free tariff rate quotas, the Commission noted. Imports beyond these quotas will be subject to standard MFN duties, it added.

• Prices are likely to remain on an upward trajectory as long as the Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed and Middle East export availability is constrained.

NextChem says that its subsidiaries Stamicarbon and KT Tech have been awarded licensing, process design package (PDP) and critical equipment supply contracts for the development of three world-scale complexes, two of them dedicated to granular urea production, and one integrating ammonia and methanol co-production, for an undisclosed “major client in West Africa”. The contracts are all based on proprietary technologies.

Methanol’s phenomenal growth in the early years of the century was based on its uptake into fuel uses and its ability to bridge coal reserves with plastics production in China. However, with these sectors maturing, traditional chemical end uses are becoming the main growth sector once again.

Ammonia sentiment was overtaken this week by the escalating Middle East conflict and the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which left vessels unable to enter or exit the Arabian Gulf. With maritime trade frozen, price indications for prompt Middle East business largely stalled. In normal conditions, the sudden removal of Gulf export flows would point to sharply higher prices, particularly given the already-tight global availability and surging urea values, but participants said the absence of tradable cargoes made it difficult to pin down an indication. The immediate knock-on was felt East of Suez, where the supply shock pulled southeast Asian values back up to around $470-480/t f.o.b. Prevailing length in the market has been reportedly absorbed, with buying interest strongest from east Asia and India.

Indian renewables developer ACME says that it will partner with the Industrial Promotion and Investment Corporation of Odisha Ltd (IPICOL) to set up a green methanol plant in Kendrapada, Odisha state. He proposal is for a 200,000 t/a plant, with ACME taking a stake via its ACME Akaysha Energy subsidiary, part of its green hydrogen business. ACME says that the project forms part of its plans to develop multiple low carbon hydrogen plants and downstream chemical production. The company is planning a large green ammonia facility in Gopalpur through a joint venture with Japan-based IHI Corporation. It is also developing a 2,200 t/d green ammonia project in Paradip with cooperation from the Solar Energy Corporation of India. The output of the facilities will be used both for domestic applications and for export.