Indian Farmers selected Becancour Waterfront site
The Indian Farmers Fertilizers Cooperative (IFFCO) and the local Coop fédérée are moving into the design phase for a world-scale nitrogen fertilizer plant to be located in the Becancour Waterfront Industrial Park of the Quebec Province in Canada.
Established in 1967, IFFCO is registered in India as a multi-states co-operative society representing 40,000 co-operatives of farmers in India.
Originally IFFCO main purpose was to distribute fertilizers to the Indian farmers all across the country.
In 1975, IFFCO became a producer of ammonia and urea in building and operating facilities order to secure the critical supply of nitrogen fertilizers to the Indian farmers.
As India is one of the largest importer of fertilizers in the world, IFFCO is exploring all opportunities to produce and supply ammonia and urea in the most competitive conditions for its farmers.
In this purpose North America offers great advantages with low gas prices coming either from the shale gas in USA, either from the bitumen associated gas in Canada as a feeder for the nitrogen fertilizers production.
On its side, the Coop fédérée represents more than 100 co-operatives of farmers in Quebec, and also in the Provinces of Alberta, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Ontario and Saskatchewan.
Together the Indian Farmers Fertilizers Cooperative and the Canadian Coop fédérée are planning to invest $1.2 billion capital expenditure in the Becancour Fertilizer Project with supporting financing from the Quebec Province.
IFFCO Becancour Fertilizer project at FEED stage
Since 2012, the Indian Farmers Fertilizers Cooperative and Coop fédérée are working on the Becancour Fertilizer Project and secured in that purpose a corresponding site in the Industrial Park and Port of Becancour in Quebec.
IFFCO and Coop fédérée selected Becancour Industrial Park because of its position in the vicinity of natural gas pipeline systems for the supply, railway network and port for the export of the nitrogen fertilizers.
The Quebec utility company Gaz Métro is reported to provide the gas as feedstock to IFFCO and Coop fédérée Becancour Fertilizer Project.
In this configuration, IFFCO and Coop fédérée are planning to produce in Becancour:
– 2,200 tonnes per year (t/y) of ammonia
– 3,850 t/y of urea
From this production 50% will be distributed in North America and the other 50% will be exported to India.
IFFCO and Coop fédérée selected the licences from:
– KBR from the USA for the ammonia production
– Stamicarbon BV from The Netherlands for the urea production
Both companies KBR and Stamicarbon benefit from decades of track records in ammonia and urea projects respectively.
After selecting KBR and Stamicarbon to provide the front end engineering and design (FEED) work for the ammonia and urea production units, Indian Farmers Fertilizers Cooperative and Coop fédérée are adjusting the Becancour Fertilizer Project costs estimates in order to make the final investment decision (FID) and move into the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) phase.
