Nitrogen Industry News

NITROGEN INDUSTRY NEWS

EUROPE

Gas prices force widespread plant shutdowns

BASF’s ammonia plant at Ludwigshaven, Germany.

PHOTO: BASF

Rapidly escalating natural gas prices forced plant closures across Europe during September. Worst affected was the UK, where a fire at a cross-Channel electricity cable and low output from wind energy has, combined with low domestic storage capacity led to a surge in demand for gas for power stations and wholesale gas prices reached a record 350 pence per therm (equivalent to $46/ MMBtu) in October. On September 15th, CF Industries announced that it was halting operations at both its Billingham and Ince fertilizer plans due to high gas prices. Although ammonia prices have also risen, they have not kept pace with gas price rises, and there is a limit to what farmers could be expected to pay. CF CEO Anthony Will said: “$900 is the gas cost in a tonne of ammonia and the last trade in the ammonia market that was done was $700 a tonne”. As these plants supply most of the UK’s carbon dioxide for food and drink manufacture, the government said it would provide “limited financial support” to keep the Billingham plant operational, and that plant re-started on September 21st. Meanwhile, BASF closed its Antwerp and Ludwigshafen plants in Belgium and Germany due to what the company called “extremely challenging” economics. Fertiberia ceased production at its Palos de la Frontera site in Spain, and Puertellano remained down for scheduled maintenance. Yara shut 40% of its European ammonia production in September, and OCI partially closed its Geleen plant in the Netherlands. Achema in Lithuania decided against restarting its ammonia plant following maintenance in August, and OPZ in Ukraine shut one ammonia line at Odessa, with Ostchem and DniproAzot likely to follow. Borealis in Austria also reduced production.

With winter fast approaching, Europe has been trying to find LNG shipments to stock up, but demand in Asia has made this difficult. There were also rumours that Russia’s Gazprom might be using supply pressure to try and gain approval for the start-up of its Nordstream 2 pipeline. In the meantime, Yara was bringing ammonia to Europe from Trinidad, the US and Australia. Yara said that it was impossible to say how long the high gas prices would last in Europe but that the company would be able to supply all of its customers with contracted volumes.

NORWAY

Large scale blue ammonia complex for the Barents Sea

Norwegian clean energy company Horisont Energi has signed a cooperation agreement with oil firms Equinor and Vår Energi for the development of Barents Blue, described as Europe’s first large-scale production facility for blue ammonia. The Barents Blue project is based on using natural gas to produce ammonia, then capturing 99% of the CO2 in the process gas for permanent storage in the offshore Polaris reservoir below the seabed offshore Finnmark. The Polaris reservoir may have a storage capacity in excess of 100 million tonnes, equivalent to twice Norway’s annual greenhouse gas emissions. The facility is planned to consist of three ammonia process trains, which may be developed simultaneously or sequentially, including all required utilities for producing blue ammonia. Each train calls for a facility producing approximately 1.0 million t/a of pure ammonia per year.

Equinor and Vår Energi are the two largest offshore oil and gas producers in the Barents Sea region, which are supposed to be among the natural gas suppliers to the Barents Blue ammonia plant. Vår Energi is the operator of the Goliat and Alke licenses in the Barents Sea. Goliat is mainly an oil field, but also holds natural gas currently being reinjected into the reservoir. Total recoverable resources in Alke and Goliat amount to about 25 bcm of gas.

Bjørgulf Haukelidsæter Eidesen, CEO of Horisont Energi said: “This agreement means that we are now moving forward in the Barents Blue project with two industrial partners with a strong local presence. They have a long-term perspective and bring extensive experience with large and complex technical projects. This is a major step forward for Barents Blue.”

Bjørn Thore Ribesen, VP Field Development and Projects in Vår Energi said: “Vår Energi has explored various alternatives for producing gas resources from these licenses. The potential for an ammonia plant has been included in our studies over the past year. This agreement strengthens our ambitions for a gas evacuation solution in the region.

Horisont has also been making other agreements, including a license agreement with Honeywell for the latter’s UniSim Design process modelling software to verify and optimise the design of its carbon-free ammonia plants, and a memorandum of understanding with Koole Terminals to collaborate on the development of an ammonia terminal at the Port of Rotterdam. UK engineering and consultancy firm Wood has entered into a framework agreement with Horisont over the development of the project, and earlier, in June, commissioned Technip and Saipem for two separate feasibility studies for the project. The company says that it is also in discussions with a number of infrastructure investors regarding project financing.

Wärtsilä and Eidesvik Offshore to convert ship to run on ammonia

The technology group Wärtsilä and Norwegian ship owner Eidesvik Offshore ASA have signed a cooperation agreement aimed at converting an offshore supply vessel (OSV) to operate with an ammonia-fuelled combustion engine with associated fuel supply and safety system. This project will be the first of its kind in the world, say the partners, and has a provisional completion target by the end of 2023.

The OSV considered for a retrofit currently has Wärtsilä dual-fuel engines operating primarily with LNG fuel. The conversion will allow the vessel to operate with a 70% ammonia blend. Wärtsilä has already successfully laboratory tested an engine with such a blend. The ultimate goal is to achieve operation with 100% ammonia and with a minimum ignition fuel requirement. As a fuel, ammonia has the potential to drastically reduce emissions of CO2 . Both Wärtsilä and Eidesvik have stated their commitment to supporting the industry’s efforts to decarbonise its operations.

“Using ammonia as a fuel is seen as a key future contributor to shipping’s energy transition, and we’re excited to be the first offshore ship owner taking this step. This project is yet another confirmation of our strong reputation as a pioneer in implementing new environmental technologies in both new builds and the existing fleet,” said Eidesvik CEO & President, Jan Fredrik Meling.

“Collaborating with Eidesvik on this ground-breaking project is an exciting and important step towards carbon-free shipping. Naturally we are also working with classification societies on measures to ensure safe and environmentally sustainable use. We are already well advanced in the development of ammonia as a viable marine fuel, and are actively working on other future carbon-free fuels as well. Our strong in-house competences are very much being utilised to support our commitment to decarbonising shipping,” said Hans Petter Nesse, Managing Director of Wärtsilä Norway.

Wärtsilä and Eidesvik are also partners in the EU-funded ShipFC project to equip a platform supply vessel, the ‘Viking Energy’ with a 2MW fuel cell running on green ammonia. The installation is scheduled to take place in late 2023. This ammonia conversion project also ties in with one of the ongoing work streams of the Wärtsiläled Zero Emissions Energy Distribution at Sea (ZEEDS) project, aimed at developing ammonia-powered new builds and converting suitable existing vessels.

UNITED STATES

Air Products plans $4.5 billion clean energy complex

Air Products has announced that it is planning to build a huge, $4.5 billion clean energy complex at Ascension Parish in Louisiana. The company will build, own and operate the project, which will be based on the production of 750 million scf/d of blue hydrogen, using natural gas, with the carbon dioxide in the production process captured for permanent sequestration. A portion of the blue hydrogen will be compressed and supplied to customers by Air Products’ extensive Gulf Coast hydrogen pipeline network, stretching more than 700-miles from Galveston Bay in Texas to New Orleans, and already including blue hydrogen from Air Products’ Port Arthur, Texas facility.

The balance of the hydrogen from the new facility will be used to make ammonia that will be transported around the world and converted back to hydrogen for transportation and other markets. The project has a target on-stream date of 2026.

Louisiana governor Edwards said: “This is a major industrial investment that will create quality manufacturing jobs while limiting environmental impacts, a goal envisioned by my Climate Initiatives Task Force. Carbon capture and sequestration are important to Louisiana’s efforts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions while maintaining jobs and growing our manufacturing base. This project is a clear demonstration of our ability to grow the Louisiana economy while lowering the carbon footprint of industry.”

Haldor Topsoe will provide its Blue Ammonia technology for the complex. Roe-land Baan, CEO of Haldor Topsoe said: “We are happy to support Air Products in their rapid expansion of renewable offerings through our partnership framework. We believe that this significant project will showcase our unique ammonia technology in a true world-scale setting.”

Feasibility study on green ammonia plant for Iowa

Maire Tecnimont says that its subsidiaries NextChem, MET Development and Stamicarbon have reached an agreement with US-based Greenfield Nitrogen LLC, to develop the first dedicated green ammonia plant in the US Mid-west. As part of the agreement, NextChem will begin a feasibility study for the 240 t/d green ammonia plant, using renewable energy to generate hydrogen for the facility. MET Development will assist Greenfield Nitrogen in the development of the project. The plant will be designed using the best available technologies for green hydrogen production together with ammonia technology that will be provided by Stamicarbon, which earlier this year launched its new STAMI Green Ammonia technology.

The project is the first of a series of green ammonia facilities that Greenfield Nitrogen is interested to strategically develop in the US Corn Belt. The plant and storage facility, which will be located near Garner, Iowa, will be powered by local renewable sources and will supply the ammonia to the local market, which traditionally is a large ammonia-consuming market. The green ammonia plant will strengthen the development of the low carbon industry in the region and is expected to save over 166,000 t/a of CO2 emissions. The production of around 83,000 t/a of ammonia will reduce the region’s dependency on imports from abroad.

Pierroberto Folgiero, Chief Executive Officer of Maire Tecnimont Group commented: “We are very pleased that Greenfield Nitrogen has chosen Maire Tecnimont as their partner of choice for this exciting project. The combination of co-developer, technology provider and EPC contractor makes Maire Tecnimont a unique player in the green ammonia market, an area that will be vital to industrialize the on-going energy transition through green hydrogen.”

New branding for Sabin Metal Corp.

Sabin Metal Corporation has launched a new brand identity, including a new logo, brand elements, typography and a new website. The website aims to provide a trusted resource for best practices and detailed information on precious metal recycling services to clients and partners. The company has also recently expanded its platinum group metal refinery to produce more platinum and palladium per month, and completed construction, certification, and launch of a third kiln for catalyst processing.

AUSTRALIA

Feasibility study on million tonne ‘blue ammonia’ plant in Australia

Japanese trading house Mitsui says that it is conducting a feasibility study on plans to invest more than $900 million to build a 1.0 million t/a ‘blue’ ammonia plant in Western Australia. Gas from the Waitsia field, in which Mitsui holds a 50% stake, would be used to produce ammonia, with the CO2 generated during production being compressed and then fed back into depleted reservoirs within the field. The ammonia would be exported to Japan and supplied to domestic electric power companies. The target date for completion of the project, assuming positive results from the feasibility study, is 2028. Mitsui is collaborating with Australian fertilizer producer Wesfarmers on the production side, and the Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation (JOGMEC) on CO2 storage. Memoranda of understanding have been signed with both companies.

Incitec Pivot looking to green ammonia

Incitec Pivot, in conjunction with Fortescue Future Industries says that it is planning to build an electrolysis plant at its Gibson Island ammonia plant near Brisbane to produce a clean hydrogen feed for the facility. According to the companies, up to 50,000 t/a of green ammonia could be produced. Incitec Pivot managing director Jeanne Johns said the project could sustain highly skilled manufacturing jobs at Gibson Island and allow the company to leverage its existing capabilities and assets to create a “thriving renewable hydrogen ecosystem in Australia in the near term.”

Tasmanian green ammonia project

Japanese power producer and wholesaler J-Power and Australian utility and gas firm Origin Energy have signed a cooperation agreement to develop a green ammonia plant on Tasmania state, aiming to ensure stable supplies of the fuel to support Japan’s decarbonisation efforts. The partners are looking at a 420,000 t/a ammonia plant at Bell Bay in northern Tasmania, looking to export it to co-fuel coal-fired power plants in Japan. Japanese shipping firm Mitsui OSK Lines also agreed with Origin Energy in August to look into developing a supply chain to support exports of green ammonia from Australia to Japan.

Ammonia from biomass gasification

Port Anthony Renewables and Singapore’s global gasification technology integrator CAC-H2 have formed a joint venture to build and commission a waste woody biomass gasification system to produce green hydrogen and ammonia for both domestic use and export internationally. The initial pilot plant will produce 3 t/d of hydrogen for domestic distribution, but the joint venture also plans to build a larger scale green ammonia production plant for export to Asia with a capacity of at least 30,000 t/a.

Benjamin Anthony, Managing Director of Port Anthony Renewables commented: “This joint venture with CAC-H2 brings proven established technology replicated from its previous global projects. Our goal for the Port Anthony Renewables Hub is to include every aspect of green hydrogen production, storage and distribution, and a biomass project such as this represents a low CAPEX, and a shorter approvals pathway.

Woodside Petroleum looking to hydrogen and ammonia hub at Kwinana

Oil and gas company Woodside has announced plans to build a hydrogen and ammonia production hub on government land south of Perth. The A$1 billion project, ‘H2Perth’ is ultimately envisaged to produce 1,500 t/d of hydrogen for export in the form of ammonia and/or liquid hydrogen. The first phase of the project would be aimed at producing mostly ‘blue’ hydrogen using natural gas supplied by Woodside, with around one third of the output as ‘green’ hydrogen produced from renewable energy through the South West Interconnected System, which includes rooftop solar power.

Hydrogen and ammonia from H2Perth would be produced using both electrolysis technologies and natural gas reforming, with 100% of carbon emissions abated or offset. The electrolysis component of H2Perth’s production will have an initial capacity of 250 MW, with potential to scale to more than 3 gigawatts (GW) alongside both customer demand and renewable energy growth. The initial phase of the steam methane reformer will consume 40 terajoules per day of natural gas. Initially, H2Perth will target 300 t/d of hydrogen production, or 20% of expected total capacity, which can be converted into 600,000 t/a of ammonia or 110,000 t/a of liquid hydrogen.

Woodside plans to start community engagement on the project soon and, subject to necessary commercial and regulatory approvals and a final investment decision, construction is aiming to start in 2024.

Woodside chief executive Meg O’Neill said: “H2Perth will… facilitate substantial growth of renewables in Western Australia by providing to the grid a flexible and stabilising load that benefits uptake of intermittent renewable electricity by households and local industry. Emissions from the first phase electrolysis component will depend on the energy mix at the time of purchase from the grid. We will look at enabling more renewables to enter the grid as future phases require more power.”

OMAN

Green ammonia for Oman?

Another feasibility study on green ammonia production has been announced, this time by a consortium comprising Omani state oil and gas company OQ, Japan’s Marubeni, Linde, and UAE-based Dutco. The project, aiming to produce up to 330,000 t/a of green ammonia, would be sited in the Sala-lah Free Zone in the south of Oman. The partners are planning to build a 400 MW electrolyser for the production of green hydrogen that will use solar and wind power from existing and new parks with a total capacity of 1 GW. The project, SalalaH2, aims to make Salalah a hub for the production and export of green hydrogen and ammonia, benefitting from the potential for solar and wind capacity in the region and the infrastructure at the Port of Salalah. The companies in the consortium will study various off-take options, including fertilizer plants in Europe, the global shipping industry and coal-fired power plants in Asia.

JAPAN

Yara to supply ‘clean ammonia’ to Kyushu

Yara International has signed a memorandum of understanding with Japan’s Kyushu Electric Power Co., Inc (Kyushu) to collaborate on establishing ‘clean ammonia’ supply chains in Japan to reduce CO2 emission at Kyushu’s coal-based thermal power plant in the Kyushu region, as well as to jointly develop a receiving and distribution system for clean ammonia for use in a wide range of fields around the region. Japan is targeting 3 million t/a of ammonia import demand for fuel by 2030 and 30 million t/a by 2050 as part of its measures to cut CO2 emissions and reach carbon neutrality by 2050.

Ammonia co-firing tests begin at power plant

Japan’s biggest power generator JERA and IHI Corp have begun to use small volumes of ammonia along with coal at JERA’s Hekinan power station in central Japan as part of an effort to reduce the facility’s emissions of carbon dioxide. The co-firing project is a part of a plan to use more ammonia alongside coal at large-scale commercial coal-fired plants as part of a shift to cleaner fuels. The demonstration project will run until March 2025, with a target of eventually achieving a co-firing rate of 20% at the 1 GW No. 4 plant. The first phase will burn 200 tonnes of ammonia by December 2021 in the No. 5 plant, to test materials and combustion times in a co-firing burner before the larger volume – around 40-50,000 t/a – is used for cofiring in the No. 4 unit. JERA is a joint venture between Tokyo Electric Power and Chubu Electric Power. IHI, which makes burners among other industrial machinery, has said separately that it has begun developing a large ammonia receiving terminal to help build an ammonia supply chain.

EGYPT

Green hydrogen feed proposed for EBIC

Fertiglobe, an ammonia and urea producer jointly owned by OCI and the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), has signed a partnership agreement with Norwegian energy company Scatec and the Sovereign Wealth Fund of Egypt (TSFE) for a project to convert green hydrogen into green ammonia by 2024, using new solar and wind energy capacity. The 90,000 t/a plant would be sited at Ain Sokhna, near Suez. Scatec will build, operate and majority own the renewable hydrogen facility, which would then supply hydrogen feedstock to Fertiglobe’s subsidiary EBIC, which already operates a 750,000 t/a ammonia plant at the site. Scatec would also enter into a long-term green ammonia purchase agreement with EBIC.

According to Scatec, engineering and development work, including the structuring of commercial agreements for the new facility, will begin shortly. A final investment decision will be made in 2022 and the hydrogen facility would be commissioned in 2024, subject to regulatory approvals from the Egyptian authorities. In addition, Fertiglobe, Scatec and TSFE will need to seek support from multilateral development institutions and solicit the services of hydrogen technology providers.

Ahmed El-Hoshy, CEO of OCI and Fertiglobe, said: “We are pleased to partner with Scatec, a leader in the global renewables market and Egypt’s largest renewable power developer, to deploy cutting-edge technology at world scale to start ramping up our green ammonia production profile. This project adds to our existing and rapidly developing low-carbon portfolio of ammonia across our global platform, and Fertiglobe in particular is increasingly becoming the ideal springboard to capture the huge growth opportunities offered by the hydrogen economy.”

Separately, ADNOC and OCI have decided to offer 13.8% of shares in Fertiglobe in an initial public offering (IPO). Currently Fertiglobe is 58:42 joint venture between the two companies. ADNOC is expected to indirectly own at least 36.2% of Fertiglobe’s shares post-IPO, while OCI will continue to own the majority of the company.

Fertiglobe is also working with ADNOC and UAE sovereign wealth fund ADQ to develop a 1 million t/a blue ammonia facility at Ruwais in the UAE emirate of Abu Dhabi, with start-up projected for 2025.

SAUDI ARABIA

Work on NEOM ammonia plant to begin early next year

ACWA Power says that it expects construction work on its $6.5 billion NEOM green hydrogen and ammonia project to begin in the first half of 2022. Financial closure on the plant, a joint venture with Air Products, is also expected early next year, with ammonia production beginning in 1Q 2026. It will be sited at the futuristic NEOM city project on Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea coast. The plant will need around 4.3 GW of clean energy to power it and ACWA plans to use solar power in the day and wind energy at night to eliminate the need for batteries and expensive storage solutions. It will produce 650 t/d of hydrogen and 1.2 million t/a of green ammonia, reducing carbon dioxide emissions by the equivalent of 3 million t/a.

MALAYSIA

Samsung to lead blue and green ammonia developments

A consortium led by South Korea’s Samsung Engineering is planning to develop a green hydrogen and ammonia project at Bintulu, Sarawak province, dubbed H2biscus. Other partners in the H2biscus consortium include South Korean companies Posco International and Lotte Chemical and Malaysian state owned SEDC Energy – a subsidiary of the Sarawak State Economic Development Corp (SEDC). The project is expected to produce 7,000 t/a of green hydrogen for Sarawak’s local use, in addition to 600,000 t/a of blue ammonia, 630,000 t/a of green ammonia and 460,000 t/a of green methanol. A pre-feasibility study has reportedly been completed and the main feasibility study is expected to start this year.

Samsung Engineering, Posco and Lotte Chemical will be taking an active role in developing the entire cycle of the project, which include direct investment, construction, transportation and utilisation. Contracts for front-end engineering and design and engineering, procurement and construction are expected to be awarded next year. Samsung is also currently executing the $900 million Sarawak Petrochemical methanol plant project in Bintulu. The state-owned methanol plant, which is earlier targeted for completion this year, is expected to produce 5,000 tonnes per day of methanol and methanol derivatives.

Sungan Choi, president of Samsung Engineering, said: “The company is channelling its efforts to be a ‘beyond EPC green solution provider’, providing green infrastructure and energy optimisation services through process analysis. By developing new hydrogen-related technologies and carbon capture, usage and storage technology, the company is aiming to transform the energy industry. [This project] will serve as an exemplary project of international standing for renewable energy trading and hydrogen transportation between South Korea and Malaysia, establishing hydrogen-related standards for the two countries.”

RUSSIA

New nitric acid and AN complex for KuibyshevAzot

KuibyshevAzot has contracted Casale to build a new 1,575 t/d nitric acid plant and 2,000 t/d ammonium nitrate solutions plant at its site at Togliatti. Casale had previously completed front-end engineering design work prior to the Covid-19 pandemic. The complex, which is due for completion in 4Q 2024, will incorporate Casale’s NA2000™ dual pressure process for nitric acid and AN2000™ technology for AN solutions production to ensure low consumption and reduced emissions. Casale will be responsible for turnkey execution and its Czech subsidiary – Casale Project – in the construction phase.

Federico Zardi, CEO of Casale commented: “We are particularly proud of this new win for our company which, in addition to strengthening the cooperation between Casale and KuibyshevAzot, comes in the wake of the successful completion of another nitric acid plant in Uzbekistan of very similar capacity, thus confirming both our commitment in pursuing large EPC projects as well as the importance of the Russian and CIS markets for the development of our business. In addition, we strongly believe that the consistent use of highly qualified local resources in different phases of the construction – as planned for this project – besides bringing clear benefits in terms of speed and efficiency of execution, also generates positive effects on the local economy and employment, creating the conditions for further collaborations as well ensuring the basis for a prosperous future for all stakeholders.”

KBR wins services contract with EuroChem

KBR has been awarded a three-year service contract by EuroChem for its ammonia plant in Kingisepp, Russia. Using a cloud-based platform, KBR’s INSITE process package will provide remote monitoring and advisory service to help improve plant operations. Under the terms of the contract, KBR will analyse EuroChem’s ammonia plant operations and use the domain knowledge of KBR experts to identify opportunities for achieving sustainable improvements in production, reliability, environmental impact, and energy efficiency.

“KBR has a longstanding and collaborative relationship with EuroChem and we are pleased to offer our KBR INSITE advisory services to ensure optimal plant operations for EuroChem,” said Jay Ibrahim, KBR President, Sustainable Technology Solutions. “We look forward to equipping this facility with best-in-class sustainable digital solutions and keep safety, environment, and energy-efficiency at the core of the strategy.”

Stamicarbon to build second granulation plant for Acron

Maire Tecnimont subsidiary Stamicarbon will supply a 2,000 t/d urea granulation plant using its own technology and proprietary equipment for JSC Acron’s Veliky Novgorod site. It is the second award for Stamicarbon by Acron after a previous granulation plant with the same capacity was completed in 2020. The new plant will be based on the same design as the first, and will use the company’s proprietary film spraying nozzles, which help to build up the granules layer by layer, resulting in what Stamicarbon claims is a better quality end product. It also offers savings in lower operating expenditure compared to other fluidised bed granulation processes due to reduced formaldehyde content in the final product and low dust formation. The company says that this results in an average operation time of three months, without interruption for cleaning.

“Since the start of its operation in the summer 2020, the first granulation unit has demonstrated excellent performance, both in terms of process reliability and equipment,” said Sergey Abramov, licensing manager at Stamicarbon. “Acron appreciated our technology and as a result chose Stamicarbon for the second unit of the same design and capacity.”

PAKISTAN

Government approves additional gas for fertilizer production

Pakistan’s cabinet Economic Coordination Committee has approved additional natural gas supplies to the Pak-Arab Fertilizer Plant and Fauji Fertilizer Bin Qasim Ltd in a bid to help stabilise urea prices. Reviewing demand for urea during the post-monsoon Rabi season from October 2021, the committee approved 58 million scf/d of gas for Pak-Arab and 63 million scf/d for Fauji Fertilizer to ensure that projected demand for urea fertilizer was met through domestic production.

INDIA

Matix settles debt

Matix Fertilisers & Chemicals Ltd has made a one time settlement of $410 million to settle completely its outstanding $600 million debt with creditors, including IDBI Bank Limited, State Bank of India, Canara Bank, Axis Bank Limited, Central Bank of India, Bank of Baroda, Bank of India, Union Bank of India, Punjab National Bank, Exim Bank and the India Infrastructure Finance Company (UK). The deal was concluded in August after three years of negotiations between lenders and the company.

Matix has accrued the debts in its 2,200 t/d ammonia and 3,850 t/d urea plant and associated power unit based at Panagarh in West Bengal.

SOUTH KOREA

KBR to license nitric acid plant

KBR has been awarded a dual-pressure nitric acid technology contract by Hanwha Corp. for the latter’s new plant at Yeosu. Under the terms of the contract, KBR will provide the technology license, basic engineering design, and technical support to Hanwha for a 1,200 t/d dual pressure nitric acid plant.

“KBR is proud to be selected by Hanwha to deliver our leading dual-pressure nitric acid technology that offers tangible CAPEX and OPEX benefits including reduced net energy consumption through efficient energy recovery,” said Doug Kelly, KBR President, Technology. “This contract highlights KBR’s continued commitment to bringing energy-efficient sustainable technologies to the industry.”