Hungarian fertilizer producer Nitrogénművek Zrt this week added its name to the list of European producers restarting ammonia production. The company has restarted production after an almost one-month shutdown, according to MTI state-news service, citing company CEO Eszter Fábry.
Nitrogénművek said it “stands ready” to adjust production levels or even stop output again, depending on gas prices. The company halted ammonia production on March 9 due to surging natural gas prices (GM March 18, p. 1). Nitrogénművek is Hungary’s only nitrogen fertilizer producer. In addition to ammonia, the company produces CAN, AN, urea, and UAN.
On April 1, Yara International ASA said it had begun the restart of ammonia production at its sites in Le Havre, France, and Ferrara, Italy, according to Reuters, citing Yara President and CEO Svein Tore Holsether (GM April 1, p. 26). Yara had announced on March 9 that it was temporarily curtailing production at the two sites, which combined have an annual capacity of 1 million mt/y of ammonia and 0.9 million mt/y of urea (GM March 11, p. 1).
Romania’s biggest fertilizer producer, Azomureş SA, said late last month that it could also resume production “in the first part of April” if the European Commission grants a financial aid package designed to benefit European energy-intensive fertilizer companies (GM April 1, p. 27). The producer has yet to announce a production restart, however.
Azomureş temporarily stopped fertilizer production on Dec. 17 last year due to “very high prices” for energy, natural gas, and electricity (GM Dec. 17, 2021).
Several other European nitrogen producers also announced plant curtailments or reduced rates in March, including Austria’s Borealis AG, EuroChem Group AG, Lithuania’s AB Achema, Croatia’s Petrokemija d.d., and Poland’s Grupa Azoty SA.