Spanish company Técnicas Reunidas (TR) has signed a contract with the Swiss-based green fertilizer company Atlas Agro AG (AA) for the development of a zero-carbon fertilizer plant, Pacific Green Fertilizer Corp., in Richland, Wash. (GM March 31, p. 1). TR and AA have already worked together in the previous feasibility stage for the plant.
The new contract includes the execution of the front-end engineering design/open book cost estimation (FEED/OBCE), which will occur over the next 10 months and is valued at $9 million. Once the FEED phase is complete and all approvals have been received, TR will start the execution of the plant through an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract. Total investment in the project is estimated to be in the $1-$1.2 billion range. The project’s timeline is for groundbreaking in 2024, with the plant to be operational in 2026-2027.
The plant will use TR’s proprietary technology for the main process units. The parties said it will be the world’s first full-scale zero-carbon nitrogen plant, using only air, water, and zero-carbon electricity as raw materials.
The facility is expected to have the capacity to produce 650,000 mt/y of calcium ammonium nitrate. The complex will include units for ammonia, nitric acid, ammonium nitrate, calcium ammonium nitrate, calcium nitrate, electrolyzers, and air separation.
The plant will be the first of a series that AA plans to build in multiple regions across the world. As reported last week, AA is planning a 500,000 mt/y green nitrogen plant in Brazil and plans to eventually build seven to nine in the country (GM May 12, p. 1). It is also considering building a plant in Paraguay.
TR said the new contract consolidates its reputation in the market as an experienced FEED/OBE contractor and its commitment to continue and expand its activities in the important North American market. The company said it has a presence in 25 countries and a track record that totals more than 1,000 industrial plants throughout its more than 60 years of experience. It is mainly focused on the development of engineering projects, design and construction of industrial plants for the production of clean fuels, natural gas, and chemical products, and solutions linked to the energy transition, circular economy, and decarbonization.
Last month AA signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Houston-based KBR to license KBR’s K-GreeN® technology for AA’s planned investments in green nitrogen plants, including the Pacific Green plant (GM April 14, p. 1). KBR will provide technology licensing, basic engineering design, proprietary equipment, and catalyst for the plants.