The Egyptian Mineral Resources and Mining Industries Authority has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with El Sewedy Capital Investments to establish a partnership for the exploration, exploitation, and production of phosphate rock in the El-Sebaeya region of the Nile valley, with downstream beneficiation and a feasibility study for establishing a factory to produce phosphate fertilizers.
In its 4Q 2024 results presentation, Abu Dhabi-based Fertiglobe said that it expects to reach a final investment decision (FID) on two clean hydrogen and ammonia projects in the US and Egypt in 2025. Fertiglobe confirmed that FID on the ADNOC-ExxonMobil low-carbon hydrogen and ammonia project in Baytown, Texas, is expected in 2025, with operations anticipated to begin in 2029. ADNOC’s 35% equity stake in the project will be transferred to Fertiglobe at cost once the project is operational.
H2 Global Energy says that it has completed initial studies for the development of a green hydrogen and ammonia plant in southern Morocco. With an anticipated production capacity of 1.0 million t/a of green ammonia, the project aims to use Morocco’s abundant solar and wind resources to produce green hydrogen, which will then be converted into green ammonia. Production is expected to be used in various sectors, including agriculture, transportation, and energy storage, supporting the global shift towards decarbonisation.
Australia’s NH3 Clean Energy, formerly Hexagon Energy Materials, has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Pilbara Ports Authority to explore options for the loading and export of 600,000 tonnes per annum (TPA) of clean ammonia from its flagship WAH2 project. The MoU is intended to establish operational arrangements and binding agreements supporting ammonia export from the project, covering ship loading for both export and bunkering customers. Ammonia would be transported from the WAH2 plant to the port of Dampier by a newbuild pipeline located in the existing infrastructure corridor and loaded onto ships at the port’s bulk liquids berth, subject to availability and commercial agreements.
Nitrogen+Syngas ’s annual listing of new ammonia, urea, nitric acid and ammonium nitrate plants.
BHP has awarded a significant engineering, procurement, and construction management (EPCM) contract to a joint venture between Fluor Australia Pty Ltd and Hatch Pty Ltd. The A$40 million contract is for the first phase of the proposed expansion of BHP's copper smelter and refinery facilities in South Australia, as the company moves towards a final investment decision on the smelter and refinery expansion, currently anticipated in the first half of FY27. The initial stage focuses on strategic planning and development during the project's study phases. Subsequent stages will cover detailed engineering, procurement, and construction management as the project advances.
Carbon Recycling International (CRI), which operates a geothermally powered green methanol plant at Svartsengi, 40km southwest of Reykjavik, had to evacuate its site in late November when a 3km fissure opened in the earth a few kilometres away and lava began spilling across adjacent land. Satellite photos of the area taken on November 24 show a large field of molten and cooled lava to the north, west, and south of Svartsengi, though the plant itself remained undamaged. CRI’s Iceland facility runs on CO2 , water, and renewable electricity from the Svartsengi geothermal power station. CRI says the low-carbon energy source allows it to produce 4,000 t/a of methanol with a greenhouse gas footprint just 10–20% that of conventional methanol.
Join us at the CRU Sulphur + Sulphuric Acid 2024 Conference and Exhibition in Barcelona, 4-6 November, for a global gathering of the sulphur and sulphuric acid community. Meet leading market and technology experts and producers, network, share knowledge, and learn about market trends and the latest developments in operations, process technology and equipment.
OCI Global says that it has reached an agreement for the sale of 100% of its equity interests in its Clean Ammonia project currently under construction in Beaumont, Texas for $2.35 billion on a cash and debt free basis. The buyer is Australian LNG and energy company Woodside Energy Group Ltd. Woodside will pay 80% of the purchase price to OCI at closing of the transaction, with the balance payable at project completion, according to agreed terms and conditions. OCI will continue to manage the construction, commissioning and startup of the facility and will continue to direct the contractors until the project is fully staffed and operational, at which point it will hand it over to Woodside. The transaction is expected to close in H2 2024, subject to shareholder approval.
With green ammonia from renewable energy facing cost hurdles to adoption, thoughts have turned to using nuclear energy as a carbon free alternative.