Egyptian billionaire Nassef Sawiris’ Fertiglobe joins Abu Dhabi blue ammonia project

OCI N.V. has announced a partnership between Fertiglobe and TA’ZIZ to launch an international-scale blue ammonia production project in Ruwais, Abu Dhabi.

OCI N.V. is a leading global natural gas-based fertilizer and industrial chemical producer and distributor owned by Egypt’s billionaire Sawiris family.

The company holds a 58-percent stake in Fertiglobe, which was born out of a strategic partnership with the state-owned Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC).

ADNOC owns the remaining 42 percent of the company.

In May, ADNOC announced that it will build a world-scale blue ammonia production facility with a capacity of 1 million tonnes per annum at the TA’ZIZ Industrial Chemicals Zone in Ruwais.

“I am pleased that we are extending our partnership with ADNOC through this venture, as it fits well in our strategy to decarbonize our global and regional platforms,” Sawiris said. “It helps grow our low carbon and Clean Fuels product offering, which includes our fast-growing biofuels business, further builds on our recently announced 365,000 tons per annum blue ammonia capability in Texas and leverages OCI’s and Fertiglobe’s globally leading position in ammonia.”

In November 2020, ADNOC and the Abu Dhabi Development Holding Company partnered to create TA’ZIZ with the aim to develop industrial projects within the planned Ruwais Derivatives Park and to act as a catalyst for economic diversification and technology-led growth in the UAE.

The project will benefit from its location in TA’ZIZ near to the Ruwais Industrial Complex, which will supply it with hydrogen and nitrogen feedstock.