All Posts from December 2, 2022

Mexico Extends Suspension of Fines on Ammonium Sulfate Imports

Ammonium Sulfate, China, Mexico, News, News Briefs, U.S.

The Mexico Economy Ministry said in a statement it extended the suspension of fines on ammonium sulfate imports from the US and China to Nov. 24, 2023, according to a Bloomberg report. “The government of Mexico continues with the implementation of actions to combat inflation,” said the statement.

The suspension was supposed to end on Nov. 24, 2022. The fines started in 2015 “because unfair international trade practices were identified,” the ministry said in the statement.

GreenTechnologies Receives USDA Funding for New Fertilizer Coating Technology

Florida, News, News Briefs, Specialty

GreenTechnologies LLC, Jacksonville, Fla., reported on Nov. 30 that its research and commercialization project for a new Reactive Layer Coating (RLC) technology for bio-based fertilizers has been awarded a Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) Phase II Award of $649,875 from the USDA. This award follows the USDA SBIR Phase I grant of $99,780 awarded to GreenTechnologies in 2021.

GreenTechnologies will develop pilot-scale manufacturing capabilities to produce and commercialize its new product line, GreenEdge® RLC, to expand its existing markets, which include lawn and landscape, professional turf, agriculture, greenhouse, and horticulture. The patented technology uses an in-situ process that creates a reactive layer between the mineral coating and the organic base.

The company said the process offers competitive advantages over existing technologies and products on the market. These include conservation of natural resources, reduced potential nutrient run-off, extended nutrient retention in soil for plant uptake, increased nutrient content of organic fertilizers, balanced ratio of NPK, and improved safety and handling characteristics. In addition, the technology allows for customization of products to meet specific agronomic nutrient needs.

Netherlands to Buy Out Farmers Amid Pushback Over Nitrogen Goals

News, News Briefs, Nitrogen, The Netherlands

The Netherlands has announced plans to buy out hundreds of farms near nature reserves, an attempt to quell the fury of Dutch farmers over the country’s goal of halving nitrogen emissions by 2030, according to a Bloomberg report.

The government will acquire large nitrogen emitters as part of a voluntary and one-time offer, said Nitrogen Minister Christianne van der Wal-Zeggelink in a letter to the Parliament in the Hague. The cabinet has set aside €24.3 billion to fund the transition.

The target, designed to comply with European Union rules on reducing nitrogen pollution, prompted uproar among farmers shortly after it was first presented in June. If implemented, the government’s plan would require cuts of as much of 95% in emissions in some provinces and see the livestock population in the Netherlands reduced by a third over the next eight years.

The protests drew global headlines this summer as farm-owners brought their cows to the Hague, blocking roads and prompting the agriculture minister to quit.

If not enough farmers sell their businesses, then the government may have to force some of them out of business, Prime Minister Mark Rutte said on Nov. 25.

Gensource Seeks C$6 M in Private Placement; Innovare Deal Expires Due to Lack of Financing

News, News Briefs, Potash, Saskatchewan

Junior miner Gensource Potash Corp. on Dec. 1 announced a proposed best efforts, nonbrokered private placement for gross proceeds of up to C$6 million. Some 20 million units will be offered at C$0.15 per unit for proceeds of up to $3 million, while 15 million common shares would be sold as “flow-through shares” at $0.20 per share for gross proceeds of $3 million.

Gensource said that the unit sale proceeds will go to advance the Tugaske Project, specifically to continue with detailed engineering and procurement activities, complete well pad leasing and drilling planning, obtain pipeline rights of way, complete the financing process of the project, and for general working capital purposes. Use of proceeds from the sale of the flow-through shares will be used to further expand resource definition, with the aim of developing a second project within the Vanguard Area.

In related news, Gensource said on Nov. 28 that its plan to acquire Innovare Technologies Ltd. (GM April 15, p. 28) has formally expired, as it was contingent on the receipt of full project financing by Aug. 31, 2022. However, Gensource said all the parties remain interested and ready to proceed with the transaction once project financing is complete.

Gensource had planned to buy 100% of the London-based privately-held developer of patented selective solution mining and brine processing technology in a deal that valued Innovare at US$11.5 million.

SABIC, Aramco Tout Blue NH3 Shipment

Blue Ammonia, Blue Hydrogen, News, News Briefs, Saudi Arabia

SABIC Agri-Nutrients and Aramco have announced that the Vessel Seasurfer, carrying 25,000 mt of independently certified low-carbon “cradle-to-gate” blue ammonia, is expected to reach its destination in South Korea between Dec. 9-13, marking the world’s first commercial shipment of its kind. Lotte Fine Chemical (LFC), which has a long-standing relationship with SABIC AN, will receive the product.

Earlier this year, SABIC AN and Aramco received the world’s first independent certifications recognizing blue ammonia and blue hydrogen production from TÜV Rheinland, a leading independent testing, inspection, and certification agency based in Germany. The shipment of blue ammonia to South Korea will be the first to capitalize on this certification achievement.

ATOME Plans to Double Green NH3 Production at Paraguay Project

Green Ammonia, News, News Briefs, South America, United Kingdom

ATOME Energy PLC, Leeds, UK, on Dec. 1 announced that it plans to expand its flagship green ammonia production project in Villeta, Paraguay, from 60MW to 120MW. This doubling of capacity will enable the facility to produce up to 100,000 mt/y of green ammonia.

The company will buy its renewable power from ANDE, the Paraguayan National Power Company, which agreed to boost sales to ATOME from 60MW to 120MW. ATOME said the power purchase agreement is the largest between ANDE and an industrial user.

The green ammonia facility will be on a 75-acre Villeta site acquired earlier this year that is adjacent to ANDE’s newly-built and commissioned substation.

The company also announced the appointment of engineering firms as Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) contractors for project – Casale SA, Urbas Energy-Ingeser, and TSK. The consortium will, on a fast-track basis, complete their study by early first-quarter 2023 with Final Investment Decision (FID) to follow thereafter.

ATOME said the Villeta Project is the first phase of its planned 420MW pipeline in Paraguay. It expects the 120MW project will be the largest dedicated green ammonia facility in Latin America by the time it is operational in 2025. ATOME is pursuing green hydrogen and ammonia production in both Paraguay and Iceland.

Indemitsu, Partners Study Green Ammonia Production for Abbot Point in Australia

Australia, Green Ammonia, Japan, News, News Briefs

Japan’s Idemitsu Kosan Co. Ltd., along with participating companies Energy Estate Pty Ltd. and CS Energy, which is owned by the Queensland government, have announced that they are studying the manufacture, storage, and export to Japan of some 500,000 mt/y of green ammonia at Abbot Point Port in Queensland, Australia.

The project, Hydrogen North Queensland (HyNQ), would include the construction of power supply facilities such as solar and wind power generation and assessment of water sources and processing facilities.

Arianne Phosphate – Management Briefs

Canada, Management Briefs, Phosphate

Arianne Phosphate,a development-stage phosphate mining company advancing its Lac à Paul project in Quebec’s Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region, on Nov. 29 announced that Dr. Raef Sully has joined the company as a Strategic Advisor. He comes to Arianne as a 10-year veteran of Nutrien Ltd. (and its predecessor, Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan Inc.), having most recently served as its Executive Vice President and CEO of their Nitrogen and Phosphate divisions.

Prior to Nutrien, he was with Bain & Co. in both Sydney, Australia, and Houston, Texas. He will begin his role with Arianne immediately, interfacing with the company’s management as they pursue their ongoing discussions with potential partners and offtakers.

First Phosphate Corp. – Management Brief

Canada, Management Briefs, Phosphate

Junior miner First Phosphate Corp., Saguenay, Quebec, recently announced the appointment of Bernard Lapointe to the company’s Advisory Board. He founded Arianne Phosphate Inc. in 1997 and served as its president until 2013.He holds a PhD in mineral resources from the Université du Québec à Chicoutimi (UQAC). Before Arianne, he was Director of the Fonds Minier du Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean, Quebec. He currently sits on the Board of Directors of several public companies in the resource and fertilizer sectors.

First Phosphate holds over 1,500 square kilometers of total land claims in the Saguenay Region of Quebec (GM Oct. 14, p. 28). It said the properties consist of a rare anorthosite igneous rock formation that generally yields high purity titanium oxide and phosphate concentrate devoid of high concentrations of deleterious heavy metals. It has been awarded drilling permits for its Lac à l’Orignal and Bégin-Lamarche properties as it develops its development plan to serve the North American lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery industry.

AmmPower Corp. – Management Brief

Canada, Green Ammonia, Management Briefs

AmmPower Corp. said on Nov. 30 that company Co-Founder and Chief Technologist Dr. Zhenyu Zhang has made the Forbes 30 Under 30: Energy List for 2023. The list, published by Forbes Magazine, is a selection of young, “low-carbon visionaries” who are “powering the future of energy and sustainability.”

At AmmPower, Dr. Zhang manages the pre-FEED (Front-End Engineering Design) and FEED for multiple green ammonia production projects. This includes the technological development of the “world’s first decentralized and electrified ammonia production unit,” the Independent Ammonia Production Machine (IAMM™).

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