Fertiliser giant OCP Group to go fully renewable, eliminate ammonia imports to Morocco

In a ceremony before King Mohammed VI of Morocco, OCP Group presented a new, green investment plan for 2023-27. The $13 billion plan will see OCP:

• ramp-up of installed renewable energy to power fertiliser production in Morocco. 5 GW of wind and solar will be online by 2027.
• produce one million tonnes of “green” ammonia per year by 2027.
• achieve an annual desalination capacity of 560 million m3 by 2027, providing water for electrolysis and drinking & irrigation water for surrounding areas.
• power its operations with 100% renewable energy by 2027.
• achieve a “local integration rate” of 70%, supporting local small and medium enterprises.

The growth in renewable ammonia production paves the way for OCP Group to eliminate its ammonia imports into Morocco, eventually replacing some 1.5 – 2 million tonnes that are transported to the north African country every year. The vast bulk of Moroccan ammonia imports are sourced from Russia and Trinidad & Tobago.

[Chairman and CEO of the OCP group, Mr. Mostafa Terrab] presented to the Sovereign the new green investment program of the OCP group. This program revolves around increasing fertilizer production capacity while committing to achieving carbon neutrality before 2040, by leveraging the unique source of renewable energies as well as the Kingdom’s progress in this area…under the impetus of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God assist him.

By investing in solar and wind power, the group plans to supply all of its industrial facilities with green energy by 2027. This carbon-free energy will supply the new seawater desalination capacities in order to meet both the needs of the group and the supply of drinking and irrigation water to the areas bordering the OCP sites.

This investment will help the group, the world’s leading importer of ammonia, to eventually free itself from these imports by also investing in the renewable energy sector – green hydrogen – green ammonia, allowing it to enter the green manure market with force. and fertilization solutions adapted to the specific needs of different soils and crops.

Press release from the Royal Cabinet of Morocco, 5 Dec 2022 (translated from French by Google)

Earlier this year IRESEN, Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P), and OCP Group signed an agreement to accelerate deployment of a new Power-to-X technology platform developed at the Moroccan university. The first demonstration of the new “Green H2A” platform will be a 4 tonnes per day renewable ammonia plant in Jorf Lasfar, a pilot plant that will be developed with Proton Ventures.