The EuroChem Group (Zug, Switzerland), one of the largest global fertilizer players; Maire Tecnimont; and SACE today announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to build five ammonia-urea plants in Russia, the United States, and Kazakhstan over the next 10 years. Under the terms of the MOU, EuroChem will first invite Maire Tecnimont to propose undertaking engineering, procurement, and construction services for the projects, while SACE will evaluate issuing credit insurance policies for the projects.
In Russia, EuroChem and Maire Tecnimont will work together on three projects: an ammonia-urea facility at Nevinnomyssk and an ammonia plant at Kingisepp, the latter including an additional project to integrate urea production. Maire Tecnimont has already completed front-end engineering design for the Nevinnomyssk facility and the Kingisepp ammonia plant.
In addition, the companies will cooperate on two other ammonia-urea projects, one Louisiana, which EuroChem announced before, and the other near Zhanatas, Kazakhstan. Each of the ammonia facilities is expected to be designed for 2,700 m.t./day. Additional specific capacities will be announced later. The projects will provide EuroChem with an additional 5 million m.t./year of ammonia and 7.5 million m.t./year of urea capacity. Stamicarbon, a Maire Tecnimont subsidiary, will provide its urea technology, with KBR the most likely ammonia process licenser.
The MOU was signed in Rome today by EuroChem CEO Dmitry Strezhnev, Maire Tecnimont senior v.p./Russia and the Caspian region Gianni Bardazzi, and SACE head/export credit Teresa Saponara in the presence of EuroChem cofounder Andrey Melnichenko, Maire Tecnimont founder and chairman Fabrizio Di Amato, and SACE chairman Giovanni Castellaneta. The ceremony was also attended by, among others, Federica Guidi, minister of economic development of Italy; Luca Lotti, state secretary of the Italian prime minister’s office; Sergey Razov, Russia’s ambassador to Italy; and Cesare Maria Ragaglini, Italian ambassador to Russia.
“We are pleased to sign this landmark memorandum of understanding with Maire Tecnimont and SACE covering the construction of five new ammonia-urea facilities in three countries over the next 10 years. This is another milestone in the execution of our strategy, which will enable EuroChem to further solidify its position as a leading, global agrochemical company,” Strezhnev says.
By Natasha Alperowicz
