A new nitrogen complex is under construction in Topolobampo, Sinaloa, in Mexico, according to the Mexico Daily News, which reports that the first stage of the facility will cost US$1 billion and produce 770,000 mt/y of ammonia and 700,000 mt/y of urea. Total investment at the 202-hectare site is expected to be $5 billion, according to the paper, which pegged the investors as being Proman AG, Wollerau, Switzerland, and its Mexican subsidiary, Gas y Petroquimica de Occidente. Proman had not responded to inquiries at press time. However, on its website, the company said it is expanding in Mexico.
According to the paper, the plant has been delayed for years due to environmental concerns, which have since been overcome. Full capacity is expected to be reached in 2021, with the fertilizer going to both the domestic market and for export.
Proman, one of the world’s largest methanol producers, is also involved in fertilizer, and is invested in three Trinidad nitrogen projects – N2000, AUM, and Caribbean Nitrogen Co. (CNC).