Agropolychim: investing in ammonia distribution from Bulgaria
By on February 22, 2024
100 railway freight cars ordered
Click to learn more. Bulgarian fertilizer producer Agropolychim has invested €15 million in a new fleet of ammonia carrying railway cars. Source: Agropolychim.
The Bulgarian fertiliser giant will invest €15 million in a new fleet of ammonia carrying railway cars, to be built in Poland by Wagony Swidnica. Each car will have a capacity of 106 m3 (or 55 tonnes of ammonia). Agropolychim also intends to double its current railway loading capacity. In a LinkedIn announcement, Agropolychim owner Philippe Rombaut indicates his organisation is expecting over 250,000 tons of low-carbon ammonia to arrive at its import terminal in Varna West every year. Rombaut also noted that railway upgrades through the EU are still needed to enable the timely, safe distribution of ammonia by rail.
Imports from the Middle East
In June 2023, Agropolychim received its first “blue” ammonia shipment from Ma’aden in Saudi Arabia. From these imports, Agropolychim intends to produce ammonium nitrate fertiliser with a reduced carbon footprint for distribution to farmers. As a further decarbonisation measure, waste straw will be used as a fuel for steam generation in the fertiliser production process.
In 2019, the organisation went “gas independent” by switching from ammonia production to strictly using ammonia imports. In 2022 its original ammonia import terminal in Varna West increased in capacity by 130%.