Maaden completes pre-operational phase for third ammonia plant facilities

Ammonia plant in Ras Al-Khair Industrial City.

Saudi Arabian Mining Co. (Maaden) announced the completion of the pre-operational stage for the facilities of the third ammonia plant at a total value of $900 million (SAR 3.4 billion) in Ras Al-Khair Industrial City.  

The company expects construction to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2021, with full operation to begin in the first quarter of 2022, according to Saudi Press Agency (SPA).

The ammonia plant is the first project in the “Phosphate 3” expansion to Maaden’s phosphate fertilizer portfolio, which encompasses the full mine-to-market development process of phosphate fertilizers.

Commenting on the announcement, Maaden CEO Abdulaziz Al-Harbi said: “The ammonia plant expansion will add over one million tons of ammonia production to reach 3.3 million tons, making Maaden one of the largest ammonia producers east of the Suez Canal.”

The “Phosphate 3” expansion will add three million tons of phosphate fertilizer production capacity to Maaden’s portfolio, bringing the total production capacity to more than nine million tons.

“This will make Maaden one of the top three global phosphate fertilizer producers and Saudi Arabia the second largest phosphate fertilizer exporter worldwide,” the CEO added.

In October 2018, Maaden awarded a SAR 3.35 billion contract to Daelim Industrial and Daelim Saudi Arabia Company Ltd. (Daelim Saudi Arabia) to construct 1.1 million tons per annum ammonia plant at Ras Al-Khair, Argaam reported.