USD 658 Million Phosphoric Acid Complex Breaks Ground in New Valley

Construction has begun on a USD 658 million phosphoric acid production complex at the Abu Tartour Plateau in New Valley Governorate, with the first phase targeting annual output of 250,000 tonnes.

Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Karim Badawi and New Valley Governor Hanan Magdy laid the foundation stone for the project, which will process Egyptian phosphate ore into high-concentration commercial phosphoric acid used in fertiliser production.

Production from the complex is planned for export through Safaga Port, with the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources positioning the project as a new source of foreign currency revenues and a further step in expanding Egypt’s phosphate processing industry.

Chinese companies CSCEC and ECEC have been contracted to deliver the complex within 30 months. More than 3,000 direct and indirect jobs are expected to be created during its development and operation.

The project forms part of wider plans to develop mining and downstream industries in New Valley over the next five years. Two additional private-sector projects are also being considered in the governorate: an integrated phosphate extraction, processing and fertiliser complex by Movingfert at Abu Tartour, and a Genesis Mining project in Dakhla covering phosphate exploration, fertiliser production and phosphoric acid.

Misr Phosphate Company, which holds a 25% stake in the new complex, currently has annual phosphate ore production capacity of seven million tonnes across Abu Tartour, El Sebaeya and the Red Sea.

The company is also working with Indorama on a separate phosphate fertiliser complex in Ain Sokhna with planned annual production capacity of 600,000 tonnes.