CHS, America’s largest farmer-owned cooperative, and OCP North America, a subsidiary of Morocco’s OCP Group, have announced a joint venture to build a phosphate fertilizer production facility in Waggaman, Louisiana. Once completed, the plant would be the first new phosphate fertilizer facility built in the United States since 1984.
The two companies plan to build and operate the phosphate fertilizer facility through a proposed joint venture located within the Cornerstone Energy Park. The new plant is expected to produce over 1 million metric tonnes of phosphate-based fertilizer annually. OCP Group will supply phosphoric acid to the facility, drawing on its global phosphate expertise, while finished products will be distributed through both OCP North America and CHS’s networks to cooperatives, retailers and farmers across the United States. The site within Cornerstone Energy Park allows for raw material and product transport via the Mississippi River system, it is reported. The specific fertilizer production process technology or licensor has not been disclosed.
Amid declining domestic phosphate reserves in the United States, the project aligns with the U.S. government’s priority to expand domestic fertilizer production capacity, it is reported. The companies have also applied for funding through the USDA’s Fertilizer Investment & Expansion for Long-term Domestic Supply (FIELDS) program.
Key items to watch include the outcome of project-related permitting and funding approvals, and whether the construction timeline and final investment decision are subsequently confirmed.