PhosAgro PJSC plans to boost production by 1.4 million mt/y in 2026 from the current level, the Russian fertilizer company said in a Dec. 4 statement. The production plan for 2023 is 11.3 million mt, which, if achieved, will be a 1.8% increase on 2022’s output of 11.1 million mt (GM March 10, p. 26).
PhosAgro produced 8.5 million mt of fertilizers and other chemicals in the first nine months of 2023, a 3.7% year-over-year increase. Much of this growth was driven by increased MAP production, which was up 19.4% year-over-year, reflecting the ramp-up to design capacity at the company’s Volkhov production complex in southern Russia.
The company said in September that the Volkhov complex, where the first phase of production began in March 2021 (GM March 12, 2021), would reach its design capacity of 1 million mt of MAP this year (GM Sept. 1, p. 24).
PhosAgro CEO Mikhail Rybnikov said the incremental growth will be supported by developing the company’s phosphoric acid and sulfuric acid production facilities, with output growth targeted at 7% by 2026 versus the 2023 level.
PhosAgro has been carrying out large-scale repairs at the company’s phosphoric acid and sulfuric acid plants in the fourth quarter, while also increasing production of raw materials and fertilizers, Rybnikov said.
PhosAgro’s production of phos acid increased 5.3% in the first 11 months of 2023, to 3.063 million mt, which the company said was the “first time in its history” that phos acid production surpassed the 3 million mt level. Production of sulfuric acid increased 3% year-over-year for the period, while fertilizer and feed and technical-grade phosphates production increased 2.2%.