Yara International ASA (Oslo, Norway; www.yara.com) is investing $263 million in Sluiskil, the Netherlands to increase granulation capacity, enabling increased production of granular urea with sulfur, and nitrates.
In 2011, Yara completed the construction of a new world-scale urea solution plant in Sluiskil, which partly feeds an old prilling unit producing 400,000 metric tons per year (m.t./yr) of urea. With this investment, the prilling unit will be replaced by a new urea granulator also designed for production of urea with sulfur, a product that is sold with a premium to regular urea. The new granulator will have a capacity of 660,000 m.t./yr of urea with sulfur. In parallel with increasing urea production, Sluiskil will reduce urea and ammonium nitrate (UAN) production by around 230,000 m.t./yr, freeing up nitric acid capacity, enabling 130,000 m.t./yr of additional Calcium ammonium nitrate (CAN) production.
“In Europe and gradually also in other regions of the world, agricultural soils are lacking sulphur, which is an essential plant nutrient. With this investment we are able to serve a growing demand, helping farmers improve both yield and crop quality while contributing to improved nitrogen efficiency,” says Torgeir Kvidal, President and Chief Executive Officer of Yara International ASA.
The new plant will be based on technology developed by Yara. Construction will start in 2015, with completion expected in second half 2017.