Iraq revives war-devastated fertiliser plant

• Fertiliser plant destroyed by Daesh
• Located in northern Iraq
• Joint venture with private sector

Iraq’s industry and minerals minister broke ground on Thursday on a major fertiliser plant in the north of the country which was destroyed by Daesh militants nearly 10 years ago.

Khalid al-Najm laid the ground stone for the plant in Baiji city in the northern Saladin Governorate during a ceremony attended by local tribal chiefs, other dignitaries and hundreds of citizens.

In statements published on the ministry’s Facebook page, Al-Najm said the plant would be re-built at a cost of nearly $1 billion as a joint venture with the private sector.

He said the joint venture was created after “prolonged negotiations” with private shareholders but he did not specify what position those shareholders were taking.

The plant is to have a capacity of 600,000 tonnes per year and all its products will be used in farming development in the province and other areas, he said.

“We meet here today to revive this industrial edifice at a cost of more than $1 billion,” Al-Najm said. 

“This project reflects the importance of partnership between the public and private sectors and it follows prolonged negotiations in order to be reconstructed.” 

Al-Najm said the plant was one of Iraq’s largest fertiliser production facilities before it was destroyed by Daesh militants when they seized Saladin province.

Iraq has been locked in a drive to rebuild its war-damaged facilities, including industry, oil, refining and other sectors.

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Last year it announced the completion of a project to reconstruct one of its largest oil refineries in Baiji, which before the conflict had an output capacity of 150,000 bpd.

In March Al-Najm laid the foundation stone for a urea plant in the southern port of Basra with a production capacity of 1 million tonnes per year.

Iraq, a founder member of Opec, produces more than 4 million barrels per day of crude and controls nearly 145 billion barrels of oil deposits, the world’s fifth largest reserves after Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, Canada and Iran.