Category: Ammonia Plants

Pasadena, TX — Pallas Nitrogen

October 27, 2015

UPDATED: 10/16/2017 — see Change Log

OWNER: Pallas Nitrogen Texas LLC
PROJECT: Ammonia plant restart

SUMMARY STATUS:
Pallas Nitrogen announced its intention to reassemble an old ammonia loop, built in the late 1970s and last operated in 2004. The original plant had been designed to use byproduct hydrogen feedstock, and Pallas proposed to restart it at an Air Products facility, using pipeline hydrogen. However, the project became delayed and the most recent information, from 2016, was that Pallas anticipated start-up in 2017. However, it is unlikely that construction ever began.

Killona, LA – AM Agrigen

by Trevor Brown

July 16, 2014

UPDATED: 10/16/2017 — see Change Log

OWNER: AM Agrigen Industries
PROJECT: Greenfield ammonia-urea plant

SUMMARY STATUS: Planning Phase
Greenfield ammonia plant: in development since 2012, permits approved in 2015, delayed, then completely redesigned in 2016. Now awaiting EPC announcement and revised budget and schedule. AM Agrigen has made no public announcements but permit documents reveal changing scale and technology licensors.

Beaumont, TX — OCI

by Trevor Brown

November 1, 2013

UPDATED: 04/17/2017 — see Change Log

OWNER: OCI Partners LP (OCI NV)
PROJECT: Ammonia plant restart & expansion

SUMMARY STATUS: Operational
OCI Partners restarted the Beaumont methanol-ammonia plant at the end of 2011, and completed a debottlenecking project in 2015 with minor delays and cost over-runs. Since then, the ammonia plant has been producing at record levels, with output slightly more than 100% capacity in 2016. In December 2016, Dutch majority owner OCI NV launched an all-stock buyout offer to acquire the remaining ~20% of OCI Partners, but this was shelved in April 2017 and the offer terminated.

Geismar, LA — Nutrien

by Trevor Brown

November 1, 2013

UPDATED: 03/19/2018 — see Change Log

OWNER: Nutrien
PROJECT: Nitrogen plant, restart, expansion and urea brownfield

SUMMARY STATUS: Operational, Planning Phase
The Geismar ammonia plant started up in 1967 but was idled in 2003, due to the high cost of natural gas feedstock. PotashCorp restarted the plant in February 2013 at a cost of $260 million. Air permit documents reveal plans for significant future expansions. In January 2018, Nutrien was formed through a "merger of equals" between Agrium and PotashCorp that was originally announced in September 2016.

Kenai, AK — Nutrien

by Trevor Brown

November 1, 2013

UPDATED: 02/27/2018 — see Change Log

OWNER: NutrienPROJECT: Idle plant, Ammonia-urea restart

SUMMARY STATUS: Planning Phase
Nutrien continues to evaluate whether to restart one of the two ammonia-urea lines at its export-oriented plant in Alaska. Originally, in 2013, Agrium had intended to make its investment decision by early 2015. The project received its first environmental permits in 2015 and continued permitting in 2016. It garnered state tax incentives in 2016 and 2017, with local incentives under discussion in 2018. Agrium's decision to restart the plant was, however, totally dependent on new availability of natural gas from the nearby Cook Inlet, which has not yet materialized. In January 2018, Nutrien was formed through a "merger of equals" between Agrium and PotashCorp that was originally announced in September 2016.