An article in yesterday’s Business Standard (New Delhi, India) is the first I’ve seen to get Ashwin Muthiah to acknowledge that he’s the sponsor of AM Agrigen’s $1.2 billion greenfield in Killona, Louisiana. (I posted this information for my members back in July 2014.)
“Muthiah confirmed there was a proposal to set up a plant in the US but declined to give details. Sources close to the company said the move was an attempt by the MA Chidambaram group scion to chart a new and distinct course for the group he had inherited.
Sources said construction of the plant was likely to begin in the last quarter of 2015 and be completed in about 30 months. AM Agrigen Industries plans to tap a mix of global investors, apart from roping in companies with which it will have offtake agreements for ammonia to fund the project. The bulk of the investment will come from the group’s holding company, AM International.”
In other news: AM Agrigen now has a draft air permit, pending approval after the public comment period, which ends next week. The permit documents include details of technology licensors, construction schedule, and project capacity – which I summarize on my page for Killona, LA.
India announced today to move forward on Urea Plant in Iran. The article is attached below.
This raises a few questions for Louisiana and the U.S. / Iran Sanctions.
Will this new Iran Urea Plant to supply India have any downside for the recently proposed Urea Plant in Killona, Louisiana?
Also, since the US has not lifted sanctions with Iran will this have any bearing on relations with the UN, India, Iran and US relations.
Thirdly, with the production of the LNG plant in Calcasieu, Louisiana it seems it would be a great opportunity to supply India with the Natural Gas required in order to produce their own Urea.
I look forward to replies.
Your site is very informative and your work is very much appreciated.
Ananth Kumar, Union Minister of Chemicals & Fertilizers
Government plans to set up a urea plant in Iran to ensure long term availability of the fertilizer here, Chemicals and Fertilisers Minister Ananth Kumar said today.
“In order to ensure long term avialability of urea in the country, the government is facilitating setting up of a urea/ ammonia joint venture project in Iran with capacity to produce 1.3 million tone urea for import to India,” he said in Rajya Sabha.
A consortium of Indian companies — Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilizers (RCF), Gujarat State Fertilizers and Chemicals (GSFC) and Gujarat Narmada Valley Fertilizer and Chemicals (GNFC) — have appointed SBI Caps for advisory and due diligence services to identify a prospective Iranian JV partner.
“The project is in a consultation stage to identify an Iranian JV partner,” Kumar said in a reply during Question Hour.
India imports about 8 MT of urea to meet its total requirement of 30 MT. Urea is most widely used fertilizer in the country.