Cronus Fertilizers, Chicago, said today it has signed an agreement with Thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions (TKIS) to serve as its new engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor for its Tuscola, Ill., nitrogen fertilizer plant. It said the agreement will enable the companies to execute an EPC contract on a fixed price lump-sum turnkey basis, and puts the proposed Cronus Fertilizers plant on track to start construction in 2018.
Following an extensive process, Cronus said it made changes to the long-planned project and replaced its EPC contractor in order to ensure the project is consistent with the current needs of the market. While the overall size of the project is unchanged, the revised plant design will focus more on ammonia production and on-site delivery than originally anticipated. It said executing a fixed price, lump-sum turnkey contract with TKIS will provide Cronus with financial certainty as it continues driving the project forward. Technimont SpA was the former EPC provider.
Cronus has also extended the option agreement with the Urbana and Champaign Sanitary District (UCSD) for the procurement of effluent water for 25 years and has extended the land options for the facility and water pipeline. The pipeline will carry treated wastewater to be used by the Cronus plant.
“With this agreement in place, project development will now accelerate,” said Erzin Atac, CEO of Cronus Chemicals. “Thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions, a Fortune Global 500 company, is the leading builder of fertilizer projects and will be involved in every aspect of constructing this state-of-the-art facility.”
The Cronus plant will be a major new source of fertilizer for farmers, now with the capacity to produce 2,300 mt/d ammonia and up to 2,000 mt/d of granular urea. Cronus says the plant’s strategic location will benefit Illinois and area farmers by producing fertilizer locally that can be delivered via pipeline or truck, replacing the need for imported products.