Dangote Fertiliser Ltd. has begun the countdown to the inauguration of its US$2 billion granulated urea fertilizer complex in Nigeria. With a capacity of 3 million tpy, the plant has been classified as the biggest project in the global fertilizer industry. Italy’s Siapem is the engineering, procurement and supervision (EPS) contractor for the project, while the India-based Tata Consulting Engineers is the project management consultant (PMC) for the project. Several critical sections of the plant are currently going through various stages of pre-commissioning and test-run. Virtually all the sections of the plant such as the central control room, ammonia and urea bulk storage, cooling tower, power generator plant, granulation plant have been completed and are going through pre-testing.
Dangote Fertiliser has started receiving gas supply from the Nigerian Gas Company and Chevron Nigeria Ltd under the gas sale and purchase agreement through which 70 million ft3/d of natural gas will be supplied to Dangote Fertiliser Limited. The project aims to significantly reduce the importation of fertilizer in Nigeria and ultimately remove the need for imports when the plant is in full production. “Thus, the supply of fertiliser from the plant, will be enough for the Nigerian market and neighbouring countries,” Group Executive Director, Strategy, Portfolio Development & Capital Projects, Dangote Industries Ltd, Devakumar Edwin said. This will, in turn, enable Nigeria to save US$0.5 billion from import substitution and provide US$0.4 billion from exports of products from the fertiliser plant.
Estimates indicate that around 5 million tpy of fertilizers are required in Nigeria in the next five to seven years. “I am happy that by the time our plant is fully commissioned, the country will become self sufficient in fertiliser production and even have the capacity to export the products to other African countries,” Edwin added. “Right now, farmers are forced to utilise whatever fertiliser that is available as they have no choice, but we need to know that the fertiliser that will work in one State may not be suitable in another State, as they may not have the same soil type and composition. The same fertilizer you use for sorghum may not be the fertiliser you will use for sugar cane.”
