Lithuanian phosphate fertilizer producer AB Lifosa, a subsidiary of EuroChem Group AG, once again is suspending operations at Kėdainiai due to a shortage of ammonia, LTR, the Lithuanian national broadcaster, has reported.
Operations will be suspended gradually between Sept. 13-15. The company’s main product is DAP, with a production capacity of some 1 million mt/y.
According to Lifosa CEO Regvita Ivanovienė, as cited by the report, operations are being suspended due to the sudden rise in natural gas prices, as well as due to the suspension of operations by the country’s only ammonia producer, Achema.
Lifosa only resumed operations on Aug. 7 (GM July 1, p. 28), and had warned at the time that operations might have to be suspended again due to an ammonia shortage (GM Aug. 19, p. 31).
The producer had been forced to halt operations in April after banks froze the company’s accounts the previous month after the European Union (EU) imposed sanctions on EuroChem’s former controlling shareholder and CEO, Russian billionaire Andrey Melnichenko on March 9 (GM April 15, p.1; March 11, p. 1).