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Fertiberia backs Swedish green ammonia project

  • Spanish Market: Fertilizers, Hydrogen
  • 20/10/21

Spain's Grupo Fertiberia has signed an initial agreement with the region of Norrbotten in Sweden to develop a 100pc green and emission-free ammonia and fertilizer site.

The project will require an investment of more than €1bn ($1.75bn) and could be operational by 2026, potentially producing up to 520,000 t/yr of green ammonia for fertilizer and industrial markets. The site, based on electrolysis technology, will use only water and air as raw materials, supplied with renewable energy from wind and hydropower sources.

This initiative, named Green Wolverine, is Fertiberia's first green ammonia project outside Spain. A new site in Sweden's Lulea-Boden area will be developed, including more than 600MW of electrolysers, a green ammonia plant producing 1,500 t/day, and an annual production of more than 500,000t of low-carbon fertilisers and industrial products. The Norrbotten region already produces 100pc of its electricity from renewable sources.

The green ammonia produced at Green Wolverine will also be used to decarbonise strategic sectors of the economy, such as maritime transport or the mining industry, Fertiberia said.

Sweden has no local production and imports around 600,000t of various fertilizer products each year, with ammonia accounting for around 150,000t of this total. Sweden is one of the few countries in the EU without fertilizer production, but is pitching to become self-sufficient and one of the world's first exporters of low-carbon ammonia and fertilizers with this project.

Green Wolverine will need to attract industrial and financial partners. Fertiberia, in partnership with Spanish utility Iberdrola, is about to start production at the first industrial-scale green ammonia plant in Spain. In the coming months, a 20MW electrolyser will be operational at its Puertollano plant, paving the way for a 200MW plant scheduled at the Palos de la Frontera (Huelva) plant in 2023.

Spain plans to install a total of 800MW electrolysers by 2027, with a total investment of €1.8bn.


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17/03/25

EU prepares CBAM export scheme

EU prepares CBAM export scheme

Brussels, 17 March (Argus) — The European Commission is preparing a "solution" for exported goods under the bloc's carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM), to be presented before the end of the year. The commission will also expand the scope of the CBAM to "certain" steel and aluminium-intensive downstream products. The changes to the CBAM will be announced as part of a European steel and metals plan. In a draft of the plan to be formally presented on 19 March, the commission points to the need to address the problem of carbon leakage for CBAM goods exported from the EU to non-EU countries. The draft also notes that the commission is currently "quantifying" risks, before proposing an extension of the CBAM to "certain" steel and aluminium-intensive downstream products, so as to address the risk of European producers relocating outside the bloc to avoid higher carbon costs. The metals plan also announces an anti-circumvention strategy for the CBAM to be presented in the second half of 2025. The commission points to the risk of goods from low-carbon production facilities in non-EU countries being redirected to European customers, while carbon-intensive production continues for other markets. The metals plan also points to the risk of "greenwashing" carbon accounting practices, with "electro-intensive metals production benefiting from market-based instruments to appear low-carbon". The commission put forward proposals last month to simplify the CBAM, exempting some 90pc of the firms currently covered by the mechanism. By Dafydd ab Iago Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Support for 45V solidifies ahead of US budget tussle


17/03/25
17/03/25

Support for 45V solidifies ahead of US budget tussle

Houston, 17 March (Argus) — Hydrogen advocates and industry stakeholders have redoubled efforts in Washington DC to make sure 45V production tax credits survive what is expected to be a bruising battle to pay for GOP tax cuts. "After a period of silence in January, we're seeing a sense of unity within the industry and we've gotten a lot more reception from members of Congress and the administration," said Frank Wolak, chief executive officer of Fuel Cell & Hydrogen Energy Association (FCHEA), while attending the CERAWeek S&P Global conference in Houston, Texas, last week. "That is a huge, milestone difference from even a month ago. I'm guardedly optimistic." President Donald Trump's flurry of executive decisions targeting clean energy supports inserted a new round of uncertainty for developers hoping to tap the lucrative tax credit, which came out of former President Joe Biden's signature climate bill, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). While the tax credit is still intact, the administration's embrace of fossil fuels has ignited concerns that 45V could be vulnerable as the GOP seek offsets to pay for a multi-trillion-dollar tax cut. As a part of the tax code, 45V requires an act of Congress to overturn it, which protects the incentive from the vagaries of executive decisionmaking but still leaves it exposed to opposing interests in a budget fight. During negotiations related to the national debt, a special parliamentary procedure can be triggered to expedite federal budget legislation by overriding the need for a super majority of votes. "Everything is on the chopping block," said Wolak. Hydrogen proponents point to the broad coalition that has emerged as an encouraging sign, with oil and gas companies throwing their political heft into the effort to protect 45V and Republican lawmakers publicly lauding the job creation by IRA-related tax credits. Powerful friends One major energy company is advocating directly and indirectly through trade associations to keep 45V intact. It believes the credits are crucial to erecting a new industry in the US and will become less necessary as the market matures and drives down costs. ExxonMobil chief executive officer Darren Woods, who expressed support for the tax credit during the company's fourth-quarter earnings call, also said the credits are an interim step for a nascent market. "We believe these incentives are critical to establishing a fully market-based future where hydrogen competes head-to-head with traditional fuels," he said in January. Last week, 21 Republican legislators whose districts have benefited economically from investments driven by the IRA issued a letter of support for incentives amid what it called "efforts to repeal or reform current energy tax credits." "Affordable and abundant energy will be critical as the President works to onshore domestic manufacturing, supply chains, and good paying jobs, particularly in Republican-run states due to their business-friendly environments," said the letter, which was organized by Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-New York.) Garbarino issued a similar letter last fall urging House leader Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) to protect IRA tax credits and picked up three more signatures this time. "This is significant," said Paul Dainora, chief commercial officer of electrolyzer maker Ohmium, in reference to the letter. "These tax credits are really important for our customers to build a business case." The Silicon Valley-based company is pursuing up to 250 megawatts of projects in the US this year but none of the larger projects will reach final investment decision before the fate of 45V is certain, said Dainora, who was also attending CERAWeek. The credits are considered so important for US hydrogen prospects that the chief executive officer of another global electrolyzer manufacturer has visited Washington from Europe multiple times in the last month to participate in efforts to buttress support for 45V, said a person involved in the visits who was unauthorized to speak publicly about them. Instead of focusing on hydrogen's cleaner emissions, industry talking points have coalesced around America's interest in maintaining energy dominance, said the person. Pointing to rising demand from the European Union and Asian countries like Japan and South Korea for cleaner burning fuels, 45V supporters are stressing that China is poised to dominate the industry if the US doesn't build its own hydrogen capacity. While businesses await an outcome, advocates take comfort from the fact that the process will wrap up in the next couple of months and allow companies to advance to FID. "We sat idle for two and a half years waiting for determination of what these tax rates would look like," said Wolak of the FCHEA, referring to the long period of uncertainty during which the Biden administration finalized the exact rules for 45V. "This next phase is make-or-break time but it's a short-term window. By Jasmina Kelemen Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Iranian urea offers fall to $370/t fob, output ramps up


17/03/25
17/03/25

Iranian urea offers fall to $370/t fob, output ramps up

Amsterdam, 17 March (Argus) — Iran's fertilizer producers have reduced their granular urea offers to $370/t fob, down from last week's artificially high levels in the mid to high-$380s/t fob, with output set to return to typical levels after curtailments that have been in place since early December. The offers at $370/t fob are valid for this week. Producers had kept offers notionally high last week in the mid to high-$380s/t fob, but there was no liquidity at these levels and Argus assessed granular urea at $360-370/t fob on 13 March. Producers have yet to return to the market with tenders, but all suppliers have returned plants to full output, including Shiraz's 1.07mn t/yr granular urea unit. Exports are expected to return to more typical rates in April, after suppliers have met domestic and prior commitments. Production was heavily reduced from the first week of December , largely restricted to just one of Pardis' 1.07mn t/yr granular urea units in the following months. The country frequently experiences urea output cuts in winter as domestic heating and gas consumption are prioritised over industrial production. Iran has a total urea production capacity of 9mn t/yr and typically exports around 5mn t/yr. By Harry Minihan Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

India’s RCF buys MAP, Hindalco receives no DAP offers


17/03/25
17/03/25

India’s RCF buys MAP, Hindalco receives no DAP offers

London, 17 March (Argus) — Indian fertilizer importer and producer RCF has bought 20,000t of MAP 10-50 from trading firm Hexagon at $649/t cfr with 30 days of credit in its 28 February tender. The cargo is due for shipment to Mumbai by 30 April. RCF had sought two 20,000t cargoes of MAP 10-50 or DAP in the tender, asking for the first cargo to be shipped within 30 days from issuing the purchase order. Dubai-based trading firm Petrotex offered DAP for the first shipment, but RCF has not accepted the offer. Hindalco receives no offers in DAP tender Fellow importer Hindalco received no offers in its tender to buy 40,000t of DAP, which closed on 14 March. It had asked for the cargo to arrive at Mundra on India's northwest coast in the second half of April. The lack of offers in the tender indicates the current tightness in global DAP supply because Chinese producers are focusing on meeting domestic demand, while many other producers have already sold DAP for March-April. By Tom Hampson Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Egypt’s NCIC issues tender to sell fertilizers


17/03/25
17/03/25

Egypt’s NCIC issues tender to sell fertilizers

London, 17 March (Argus) — Egyptian producer NCIC has issued a tender to sell various fertilizers for loading in April, closing on 24 March. NCIC is offering the following fertilizers: 30,000t of DAP — it sold 30,000t at $638-640/t fob in its 26 February tender 15,000t of TSP — it sold 17,000t at $487-490/t fob in its 26 February tender 10,000t of 19pc SSP — it sold 30,000t at $198-203/t fob in its 26 February tender and 20,000t at $213/t fob in its 4 March tender 12,000t of CAN27 — it sold 15,000t at $321-325/t fob in its 26 February tender 5,000t of granular urea — it offered 5,000t in its 26 February tender but was not awarded 1,500t of water-soluble SOP — it sold 1,500t at $580-590/t fob bagged, with the customer supplying the bags, in its 26 February tender The fertilizers sold in its 26 February tender were scheduled to load in March. NCIC only offered SSP for loading in April in its 4 March tender. By Tom Hampson Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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