Acron Group has proceeded to the second stage of the overhaul of the urea unit at its production site in Veliky Novgorod. Costing a total of USD 85 million, the comprehensive upgrades to the sixth unit will increase capacity to 2,050 tpd from 600 tpd.
Preparations for the Urea-6+ project started in 2019, with the launch scheduled for the second quarter of 2021. Several parts of the project are currently active:
· Construction of the evaporation unit and the integrated sewage treatment unit
· Construction of foundations for service structure
· Upgrades to all urea infrastructure, including a new water cycle and replaced distillation columns, condensers, and pumps
· Widened rail access roads to prevent shipping bottlenecks
Chairman of the Acron Board of Directors Alexander Popov sees the upgrades as a successful continuation of Acron Group’s development strategy. ‘With increased ammonia capacity at the Veliky Novgorod site, we needed to rethink efficient processing. That conversation gave rise to a series of projects to expand nitrogen fertiliser production. With the new nitric acid unit and the urea granulation unit already operating, it was time to look at Urea-6+. Once this project is complete in 2021, total annual output will increase by half a million tonnes to 1.9 mn t, and Acron will be the largest urea facility not only in Russia but also in Europe.’
Urea is a high-analysis nitrogen fertiliser and a feedstock for producing urea-ammonium nitrate and urea-formaldehyde resins. Urea has better physical and chemical properties than other granulated nitrogen fertilisers and is widely used to grow a variety of crops on all types of soil.