Italian engineering firm Maire Tecnimont will handle engineering, procurement and commissioning (EPC) as well as the start-up of Pampa Energia's 2.1mn t/yr granular urea plant in Argentina.
The facility is set to be completed in 41 months, according to Maire and Pampa. The plant will operate two urea trains, each with its own granulation unit, at the site in the Bahia Blanca industrial complex in Buenos Aires province.
The 2.1mn t/yr plant will have the largest capacity in Latin America, outstripping Profertil's 1.32mn t/yr facility, also located in Bahia Blanca.
The new plant has the potential to alter some trade dynamics in the region, with the addition set to boost Latin America's urea capacity by over a third from its existing 6.1mn t/yr. It will also result in Argentina becoming the top producer in the region, surpassing Venezuela's existing — although constrained — capacity. Latin America is, along with south Asia, among the top importing regions globally, typically receiving at least 11mn-12mn t/yr of urea, largely due to demand from Brazil and Argentina. Argentinian urea imports have ranged from 0.8mn-1.5mn t in recent years.
Pampa pointed to the "structural deficit" in import terms in the wider region and noted the project's "strong export profile" in a stock exchange filing announcing the final decision to proceed on 17 July.
