Middle East conflict drives historic urea affordability crisis
An update on the impacts of the Middle East conflict on fertilizer markets.
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 […]
Woodside Energy has formally assumed control of the Beaumont New Ammonia (BNA) facility in Texas, following the completion of performance testing by previous owner OCI. However, speaking at a recent press briefing for Woodside’s quarterly results, CEO Liz Westcott admitted that the switch to carbon capture and storage at the 1.1 million t/a ammonia facility […]
ATOME has signed definitive debt agreements for the $650 million Villeta green fertilizer project in Paraguay.
The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and thyssenkrupp nucera have entered into a new agreement to accelerate the development of green hydrogen and Power-to-X markets in India. Announced at India Energy Week in Goa, the partnership brings together international development cooperation and private-sector technological expertise to unlock opportunities along the country’s hydrogen value chain.
Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd says that it has secured a $305 million contract from Bharat Coal Gasification and Chemicals Ltd (BCGCL) for a syngas purification plant at Lakhanpur, Odisha. The lump sum turnkey package includes design, engineering, equipment supply, civil works, commissioning and 60-month operation and maintenance services. The project, part of BCGCL's planned 2,000 t/d ammonium nitrate facility, has a 42-month execution timeline. BCGCL is a joint venture between Coal India Ltd, with a 51% stake and BHEL with a 49% shareholding.
The government of Pakistan has published a ‘strategic roadmap’ for the country’s major Coal-to-Fertiliser (C2F) initiative. The project is being executed by the publicly-owned Fauji Fertiliser Company (FFC), and will use local coal reserves at Thar as feedstock for the ammonia plant, which will in turn feed 720,000 t/a of urea capacity. The $1.1 billion project aims to strengthen the country’s fertiliser security as well as add value to local resources. A bankable feasibility study was completed in November 2025, and the project is now in the Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) and project agreements phase. Under the proposed timeline, financial closure is expected between late 2026 and 2027, while commercial operations are targeted to commence in January 2031.
Norwegian oil and gas major Equinor says that it is no longer pursuing its planned H2M Eemshaven blue hydrogen project in the Netherlands, citing policy uncertainty and insufficient funding. The project was a joint venture between Equinor and Linde, and would have produced hydrogen from natural gas piped from Norway, with a capacity of 210,000 t/a of hydrogen beginning in 2029. Around 95% of the carbon dioxide produced would then be piped back to offshore storage sites near the Norwegian coast. Equinor had received a grant of €162 million for the project from the European Innovation Fund last summer. However, uncertainties over whether the project would receive carbon credits under the EU’s RED III directive, and a lack of local hydrogen infrastructure at Eemshaven meant that the project was unable to secure offtake agreements.
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.