PhosAgro has launched a new ammonium phosphate plant at Volkhov, some 122 km east of St. Petersburg, with a pilot batch of product produced at the new facility, the Russian fertilizer group said March 9.
The new plant with 288,500 mt of production capacity is the first stage of a project for the development of a large production complex at Volkhov. The RUB28 billion (approximately $379 million at current exchange rates) project was launched in March 2019 (GM March 29, 2019).
The first stage of the development also includes a phosphoric acid plant with capacity of 200,000 mt/y P2O5, storage facilities for 490 mt of liquid ammonia, three new sulfuric acid tanks for a total volume of 12,000 mt, and a warehouse for storage of up to 15,000 mt of ammonium phosphate.
The second stage of the project involves the modernization and overhaul of the existing production facilities at Volkhov to enable them to produce ammonium phosphate. The work will include the overhaul of the phosphoric acid extraction unit, which on completion will raise phosphoric acid production capacity at the site to 450,000 mt/y P2O5. New equipment also will be installed for the production of sulfuric acid, enabling annual sulfuric acid production capacity of 800,000 mt/y.
On completion of the work, the annual production of ammonium phosphate at the Volkhov site will be increased to 800,000 mt/y, PhosAgro said. The group expects to see the start-up of these main capacities in 2023.