Maire Tecnimont to build renewable power-to-fertilizer plant in Kenya

LONDON (ICIS)–Italian engineering major Maire Tecnimont Group on Monday said subsidiaries MET Development, Stamicarbon and NextChem have begun work on a renewable power-to-fertilizer plant in Kenya.

MET Development signed an agreement with Oserian Development Company for the plant at the Oserian Two Lakes Industrial Park, on the southern banks of Lake Naivasha, around 100km north of Nairobi.

Innovation and licensing arm Stamicarbon will provide its new Stami Green Ammonia Technology to produce ammonia, and its nitric acid technology as an integrated package for the manufacture of nitrate fertilizer.

The project targets the production of 550 tonnes/day of calcium ammonium nitrate (CAN) and/or nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium (NPK) crop nutrients.

Due to commence commercial operation in 2025, the facility will be the first commercial-scale plant to make nitrate fertilizer from renewables, Milan-headquartered Maire Tecnimont said.

MET Development is currently engaging with local and international partners to set up the development consortium, the firm added.

“We are very pleased to announce the start of this exciting project thanks to the collaboration with a pioneering player such as Oserian Development Company,” commented Maire Tecnimont Group CEO, Pierroberto Folgiero.

“With this strategic initiative we aim to unlock the potential of decarbonising the fertilizer industry using renewable energy as a feedstock.

“Kenya has a unique potential to provide renewable energy, making it an ideal location for local green power-to-fertilizer production, replacing import of nitrogen fertilizer.

“With this first very promising initiative we confirm our expertise in project development in green energy, by acting as an end-to-end developer and technological integrator capable of connecting the key factors which are necessary to industrialize the green economy globally.”

Oserian Two Lakes Industrial Park is a 150-hectare sustainable development designed to become a demonstration case for East Africa’s sustainable industrialisation.