ARGENTINA —Saipem has been selected by Profertil S.A. to provide engineering services for the evaluation of an expansion to the fertilizer producer’s complex in Argentina. The planned development includes a new urea production unit designed for 4,450 tonnes per day, with the engineering phase expected to run for 11 months.
The assignment covers technical services, Licensors' Design Packages and preparation of a structured proposal for the next stages of project development. Saipem will undertake the work together with Techint Engineering & Construction, bringing engineering and process technology capabilities into the assessment of the proposed facility.
The development is relevant to Argentina’s fertilizer supply chain because additional domestic urea capacity could increase the availability of a key nitrogen fertilizer for agricultural producers. Urea is widely used in crop production, making fertilizer manufacturing capacity an important component of the country’s agricultural input infrastructure and potentially relevant to regional fertilizer supply.
The proposed plant would combine Topsoe technology for ammonia production, Saipem’s urea technology and Thyssenkrupp Uhde technology for granulation. The technology configuration indicates that the engineering phase will address multiple stages of the fertilizer production process before decisions on subsequent development phases are made.
For the companies involved, the 11-month engineering assignment provides a defined phase ahead of potential project development and construction activity. Profertil is an Argentine fertilizer producer and operator of a major fertilizer complex, while Saipem is an engineering and construction group serving energy and industrial projects. The project could create future opportunities for engineering, technology licensing, equipment supply and construction participants if the planned expansion advances.
