Ethiopia will Build New Fertilizer Factory

The Ethiopian government has announced plans to begin construction on a new fertilizer factory in Oromia Regional State, in two weeks. The new factory will be constructed by the Ethiopian Metal and Engineering Corporation.

The Coal Phosphate Fertilizer Project Office has been studying the feasibility of a fertilizer factory in the area for over ten years. Studies in socio-economic, environmental and geological impact were conducted in association with Chinese companies including China National Complete Plant Import and Export Corporation (COMPLIANT) and Ging Sion Explorer.

The 12 million birr study made by COMPLIANT revealed that there was an estimated 100 million  tonnes of coal in the Yayu area of the Oromia region.

The total expected cost of the fertilizer factory has not yet been reported.  The coal could produce 90MW of electric power, 20,000 tonnes of ethanol and 300 thousand tonnes of Urea fertilizer every year according to the study. The possible gains from the Urea at the time the report was concluded, 2008, were not enough to justify extraction.Ethiopian farmers have been using Urea and Dap fertilizers extensively for the past ten years with demand growing every year. It is estimated the Ethiopia imports about 1 million tonnes of fertilizer annually.

It is expected that the output of the fertilizer factory will reduce the amount of fertilizer imports and the costs attached significantly.Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation has been investigating the possibility of erect an energy plant in the area to generate electric power from coal.

Source:-The Capital