Ferrostaal constructed an ammonia plant in Venezuela. It is part of a large petrochemical complex for producing fertilizers for the company Petroquímica de Venezuela (PEQUIVEN). The total investment for the complex volume was approximately one billion USD.

The large petrochemical complex is situated in Carabobo state, near  the town of Morón on the Caribbean coast. An old fertilizer plant operated by PEQUIVEN already located on this sitewas replaced by the efficient, state-of-the-art plant. Ferrostaal was the commercial leader of the group which built the complex and was responsible for the ammonia plant. The Japanese Toyo Group was responsible for the connected urea plant, and the Venezuelan firm Y&V Ingeniería y Construcciones for the ancillary facilities. The erection of the ammonia plant was carried out by MCM Construcciones y Montajes, a 100 per cent Ferrostaal subsidiary.

Convincing expertise

The ammonia plant produces 1,800 tonnes of ammonia per day. The model for the ammonia plant was the N2000  plant in Trinidad and Tobago, the construction of which Ferrostaal completed in August 2004 and which has since performed very well. The N2000 plant was constructed and commissioned at a record speed within only 23 months.

Increasing demand for fertilizers

At the time of the project the Venezuelan government’s aim was to make the country one of the leading fertilizer producers in Latin America in the long term. However, the petrochemical complex in Morón was initially intended to help make Venezuela's agricultural industry independent of fertilizer imports.