The foundation stone for Qatar Fertiliser Company's (Qafco) $3.2 billion ammonia and urea complex was laid by Qatar's  Crown Prince Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani yesterday.

The project, named Qafco-5, will make Qafco the world’s largest single site producer of urea and ammonia, a statement said.

Abdullah Salatt, Qafco chairman, said: “Increasing worldwide demand for our products encouraged us to add the Qafco-5 train to our existing facilities.”  

"The project will put Qatar in a significant position on the world’s food map with the ever increasing demand for fertilisers,” he added.

The facility will include two ammonia plants with a combined capacity of 4,600 tonnes a day and a urea plant with a capacity of 3,850 tonnes a day, said the company's managing director Khalifa Abdullah Al-Sowaidi.

The complex, being built at Mesaeed, will be completed in 2011.

Al-Sowaidi said a consortium led by Snamprogetti of Italy and Hyundai of South Korea have been awarded the EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) contract for the project.

Qatar Melamine Company

Al-Sowaidi said Qatar Melamine Company has been formed to produce and then export Melamine, a versatile material used in building and automobile industries.

The plant will use the urea from Qafco-1 as the feedstock.

He further added that Qafco-1 will be revamped to increase its productivity and supply more urea for melamine.

The EP contract for melamine project has been awarded to Eurotechnica of Italy and the contract to revamp Qafco-1 has gone to Urea Calsale from Switzerland. - TradeArabia News Service