Fertiglobe and Egypt's Petroleum Ministry Weigh 1.3 Million Tonne Phosphate Complex at Ain Sokhna

Fertiglobe is working with Egypt's Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources on an integrated phosphate complex in the Ain Sokhna region, targeting 1.3 million tonnes of diammonium phosphate fertilizer a year, with commercial production to begin in 2031. EIN Presswire reported the preliminary proposal.

Fertiglobe's Ain Sokhna Phosphate Proposal

Egyptian Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Karim Badawi reviewed the preliminary proposal with Fertiglobe CEO Ahmed El Hoshy and an accompanying delegation, according to the report. Badawi called for completion of technical and economic studies covering the proposed technology, energy needs and infrastructure required to establish the facility.

The two sides discussed accelerating the exchange of technical, geological and commercial information and completing preparations needed to examine phosphate ore supply agreements, work that would help determine the project's economic viability and implementation requirements. Badawi directed co-ordination between Fertiglobe, the Mineral Resources and Mining Industries Authority and other participants in Egypt's mining sector to identify phosphate deposits that could supply the complex and assess the feasibility of long-term sourcing arrangements.

Badawi said the proposal supports Egypt's efforts to generate greater economic value from its mineral resources by expanding domestic manufacturing. Linking mining with industrial production would allow raw materials to be processed into higher-value products, supporting output, exports and investment in industries that add value to local resources, the minister said.

Beyond fertilizers, the meeting examined a proposal to produce AdBlue locally using domestically available urea, an aqueous urea solution used in vehicles equipped with selective catalytic reduction systems to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions and improve air quality. Badawi requested a detailed technical and economic assessment, including production requirements and target uses, to establish its feasibility and determine the next steps.

Fertiglobe's Scale in Urea and Ammonia

Fertiglobe is the world's largest seaborne exporter of urea and ammonia combined, with approximately 10% collective market share of global trade in these products, according to akta.pro company records. The Abu Dhabi-based producer operates four production facilities in the UAE, Egypt and Algeria with 6.6 million tons of combined annual production capacity of sellable urea and merchant ammonia, and reported revenue of $2,827 million in 2025.

Fertiglobe's Recent Ammonia and Export Moves

In September 2026, Covestro, Fertiglobe and MB Energy signed an MoU to explore ammonia supply via a Hamburg terminal, with Fertiglobe to evaluate potential offtake by Covestro and the parties to assess terminal capacity, logistics and renewable ammonia options, LogisticsGulf reported. In July 2026, Fertiglobe said it was diversifying UAE fertilizer export routes to avoid a Hormuz closure, working with Etihad Rail for alternative transport, Enterpriseam reported. Also in July 2026, Fertiglobe reported second-quarter revenue of $1.09 billion, surpassing the analyst estimate of $934.6 million, AInvest reported.

What Comes Next for the Phosphate Plan

Technical and economic studies for the phosphate complex and the AdBlue assessment are to be completed, and phosphate ore supply agreements are to be examined, before the project's economic viability and implementation requirements are determined.