(The Advocate – October 20, 2013) BASF, Yara eyeing Gulf Coast for ammonia plant (By: Ted Griggs)
Chemical giants BASF and Yara are talking about building “a world-scale ammonia plant” on the Gulf Coast, although few other details are available.
BASF, the world’s largest chemical company, uses ammonia in its United States manufacturing facilities. Oslo-based Yara, which has a global fertilizer network, is looking to strengthen its U.S. presence.
BASF spokesman John Schmidt said the joint project, if it happens, would be the first between BASF and Yara.
The BASF-Yara plant, if built in Louisiana, would join a handful of major ammonia projects announced in the last year. The projects include CF Industries $2.1 billion expansion in Donaldsonville; Russian fertilizer company EuroChem’s proposed $1.5 billion plant that will be built in either Carville or St. John the Baptist Parish; Dyno Nobel America and parent company Incitec Pivot Ltd.’s $850 million anhydrous ammonia production facility in Waggaman; and Mosaic’s proposed $700 million expansion of the Faustina site in St. James Parish.
Rusty Braziel, president of RBN Energy, expects BASF and Yara will choose between Louisiana and Texas, with neither state having much of an advantage over the other.
“For competitive reasons and to protect confidential company information, we can’t comment on current or potential prospects,” said Stephen Moret, Louisiana’s economic development secretary.
“In both states, there are a lot of industrials that have already announced expansions …. Also, both states have the lion’s share of the LNG exports that have already been announced,” Braziel said.
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