Industry Natural Gas

World’s second largest granulated urea plant commissioned in Nigeria

President Muhammadu Buhari officially commissioned the 3 mtpa Dangote Fertilizer Plant on March 22nd.

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Yesterday, President Muhammadu Buhari commissioned Africa’s largest granulated urea plant and the second biggest in the world in Ibeju Lekki.

The Dangote Fertilizer facility has a capacity of 3 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) and is now making Nigeria self-sufficient in fertilizers, with extra capacity reserved for exports.

“We have already started exporting to the USA, Brazil, India and Mexico,” Aliko Dangote said during the commissioning ceremony held at the Lekki Free Zone.

The $2.5bn twin train facility processes domestic gas to produce urea and ammonia, and is located next to the 650,000 bpd Dangote refinery and petrochemicals complex, where operations are yet to start.

Just this month, state-owned NNPC, the Shell Petroleum Development Co. (SPDC) JV and Dangote sealed a new Gas Supply & Aggregation Agreement (GSAA) to supply 70 MMscfd of gas from the Tunu CPF (OML 35) to Dangote Fertilizer. Another GSAA had previously been signed in December 2019 with Chevron Nigeria.

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World’s leading titanium manufacturer to set up 200 MW solar plant in South Africa

Tronox Holdings, one of the world’s leading producers of high-quality titanium products, has signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) this week with South African IPP SOLA Group for 200 MW of solar power capacity. The project is expected to be commissioned by Q4 2023 and supply clean energy to Tronox’ mines and smelters in South Africa. “This 200 MW solar project is expected to provide approximately 40% of Tronox’s South African electricity needs and lower its worldwide scope 1 & 2 emissions by approximately 13%,” Tronox said in a statement. The company has set a target of aligning with a global warming scenario below 2° C and achieve net zero GHG emissions by 2050.

Africa’s largest copper-gold mine to run on renewable energy

First Quantum Minerals (FQM), the company that notably operates Africa’s biggest copper mine by production in Zambia, has entered into a new partnership with Chariot and Total Eren to develop 430 MW of solar and wind power for its mining operations in Zambia. Both Chariot and Total Eren had signed last year binding key terms of a long-term joint-development partnership to jointly originate and develop wind and solar projects for mining clients in Africa. Their project in Zambia with FQM would be unique in scale for Africa and help the global mining company to decarbonize its operations as it seeks to reduce its carbon footprint by 30% by 2025. Additional renewable energy capacity would notably support operations at FQM’s flagship Kansanshi copper-gold mine new Solwezi in Northern Zambia.  Since 2005, FQM has expanded its operations there and is now capable of producing 340,000 tonnes of copper and more than 120,000 ounces of gold per year.