Tag: Project

Topsoe has been selected as the renewable diesel technology partner for CountryMark’s Mount Vernon, Indiana refinery. Located in southwestern Indiana, the refinery processes 35,000 bbl/d of crude oil. With the addition of Topsoe’s HydroFlex technology, CountryMark aims to produce up to 250,000 barrels of renewable diesel annually. The new unit is expected to enable an emission avoidance of approximately 84,500 t/a of CO2 e. CountryMark, a farmer-owned cooperative, will use local soybean oil as the primary feedstock to produce renewable diesel, helping create a locally sourced renewable fuel economy in Indiana.

Marimaca Copper Corp. says that it has recently executed a binding asset purchase option agreement to acquire a used sulphuric acid plant in Chile from CEMIN Holding Minero. Sulphuric acid is one of the key input costs for the Marimaca Oxide Deposit, and the ability to produce a significant amount of its own supply will reduce exposure to a volatile acid market. The agreement has an exclusivity period of three months to allow further detailed technical and engineering reviews including capital and operating cost estimates for the installation and operation of the 150,000 t/a sulphuric acid plant, whose output would represent approximately 30-40% of total acid consumption at the Marimaca Oxide Deposit, depending on the phase of development. Marimaca says that, based on market research and quotations received, the estimated equipment cost of a new sulphuric acid plant of similar capacity is approximately $35-40 million, with a total installation cost of $50-60 million. The cost of breaking down and relocating the plant to the site at Mejillones and the start-up costs of the used plant are expected to be materially lower than cost of new equipment. Indicative operating costs show the potential for an approximately 30% reduction in acid cost relative to current long-term forecast and normal historical spot and contract acid prices delivered to Mejillones.

A formal signing ceremony has been held between senior company executives from KMG PetroChem, Tecnimont and the Kazakh government for the construction of the new Tengiz Gas Separation Complex (GSC) project. The ceremony was held at KMG PetroChem headquarters, in the Atyrau region of Kazakhstan. The Tengiz GSC project’s scope of work includes engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning works, with Tecnimont mainly responsible for the EPC works. Completion is expected by the first quarter of 2029. Once completed, the gas processed by the GSC will feed the Silleno petrochemical plant, another project currently being executed by Tecnimont in the region. The GSC is designed to recover at least 98% of ethane from dry gas, while the Silleno complex is expected to deliver high-quality petrochemical products. KMG PetroChem is a fully owned subsidiary of Kazakhstan’s national oil and gas company KazMunayGas.

Upcycle Minerals Inc. has launched a brine to potassium sulphate fertilizer with carbon capture project in south-central Saskatchewan. The company says that it plans to use its mineral assets, including the Tuxford potash mineral permit and the Whiteshore and Lydden Lake Alkali Leases as feedstock for its patented process. Along with the production of potassium sulphate (SoP), the process also generates two co-products with established markets; ammonium sulphate fertilizer and precipitated calcium carbonate. Upcycle says that it intends to become an ecologically conscious, low-cost producer of SoP with low net CO2 emissions.

Transition Industries LLC has signed a heads of agreement with Italian contractor Bonatti SpA to deliver key infrastructure for the Pacifico Mexinol green methanol project in Sinaloa. Under the agreement, which includes a fixed lump-sum price, Bonatti will handle detailed engineering, procurement, construction, pre-commissioning, commissioning and startup for upgrades to the Terminal Transoceánica de Topolobampo port facilities. The work will cover methanol loading operations for export, underground transfer pipelines, vapor recovery systems, and dual fiber optic cables linking the main plant to the port. Bonatti may also build a closed-loop water pipeline to recycle municipal wastewater for plant operations, avoiding freshwater use and reducing environmental impact.

BASF and Yara International ASA say that they have jointly decided to discontinue their project to develop a 1.4 million t/a low-carbon ammonia production facility with carbon capture and storage in the US Gulf Coast region. The companies say that this decision reflects their “commitment to focus on initiatives with the highest potential to achieve their respective value creation goals.” Yara will continue its ammonia strategy as previously communicated, evaluating and maturing equity investment opportunities in US ammonia to determine the optimal project portfolio.

ATOME says that the European Investment Bank (EIB), the lending arm of the European Union, has approved financing in-principle of up to $135 million for the company’s flagship Villeta Project. EIB is one of ATOME’s senior debt providers for Villeta and the announcement follows the Green Climate Fund approval earlier this month. Details of the financing will be finalised in early course, following closing of the debt package with the consortium of leading international development finance institutions. Based on the progress with financing, ATOME is projecting a final investment decision by the end of September 2025.

KBR says that it has been awarded a front-end engineering design (FEED) contract for the development of an ammonia and urea production plant by KAR Electrical Power Production Trading FZE (KEPPT) in Basra, Iraq. Under the terms of the contract, KBR will provide FEED for a proposed 2,300 t/d ammonia production facility and 3,850 t/d urea unit. The design will be executed using KBR’s proprietary ammonia technology.

Clariant has signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Shanghai Boiler Works, a full subsidiary of Shanghai Electric specialising in energy conversion and the development of new energy applications, to jointly foster innovation in sustainable energy solutions. The partners will combine their expertise to advance green energy projects in China. The agreement is the result of close and successful cooperation in Shanghai Electric’s new biomass-to-green methanol plant in Taonan, Jilin Province, China. In addition to supplying its MegaMax catalysts, Clariant provided technical on-site support during the successful startup of the 50,000 t/a plant. The second phase of the project, with a capacity of 200,000 t/a green methanol and 10,000 t/a of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF), is expected to start production in 2027. The ceremony for the official signing of the partnership contract took place last week at the Clariant Innovation Center in Frankfurt, Germany.

Saudi power group ACWA Power has awarded a front-end engineering design (FEED) contract to a consortium of Spanish engineering firm Tecnicas Reunidas and Sinopec Guangzhou Engineering for the development of a large green hydrogen and ammonia project in Yanbu. The project would include 4 GW of electrolysis capacity, enabling the production of 400,000 t/a of green hydrogen, which will then be converted into green ammonia for export. The plant’s scope also includes water desalination infrastructure and an export terminal to support global distribution, though renewable generation assets are excluded from the current design phase.