Morocco’s OCP Group SA plans to build four new plants to be completed by 2028 for the production of purified phosphoric acid (PPA) and technical MAP. OCP said the start of construction of the first PPA/technical MAP units is scheduled for the first half of 2024.
The new production facilities will be built within the group’s existing industrial platforms, with the first PPA and the technical MAP units targeting an equivalent annual production capacity of 120,000-150,00 mt/y P2O5, OCP said in an Aug. 17 media statement.
OCP said it is being assisted by JESA, the ongoing joint venture between the Moroccan phosphate group and Australian firm Worley, which it described as the African leader in design, engineering, and project delivery services.
“The project is part of OCP’s strategy to meet the growing demand for use of PPA and technical MAP as captive inputs in other products such as lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries and phosphate salts, as well as the growing needs of horticulture and water-stressed agriculture markets around the world,” the company said.
OCP added that the new capacities will also allow it to use the PPA and/or technical MAP produced in the new plants to manufacture other high-value niche products, “thus expanding OCP’s existing specialty phosphate business.”