Trinidad’s Ammonia Industry
There are eleven (11) ammonia plants that include two ammonia complexes on the Point Lisas Industrial Estate with a total annual capacity of 5.2 million metric tonnes (MT).
The first complex comprises the two Tringen plants which are joint ventures between the Government and the Norwegian firm Norsk Hydro; and a third ammonia plant, the oldest in the country, which was formerly owned by W.R. Grace and acquired by Norsk Hydro in 1991; it was formally named Hydro-Agri but is now known as Yara Trinidad Limited.
The second fertilizer complex is one of the world’s largest ammonia complexes and is owned by Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan (PCS) and comprises four ammonia plants and one urea plant.
One plant is owned by Pt Lisas Nitrogen Limited (formerly Farmland Misschem) with an annual capacity of 650,000 MT. The technology used is the Haber Process. The shareholders are Terra Industries and KOCH Minerals Services LLC, being equal partners.
Another plant is owned by Caribbean Nitrogen Company Ltd (CNC), with an annual capacity of 647,500 MT. It is owned by a consortium comprising of subsidiary companies of MAN Ferrostaal, PROMAN and KOCH Industries and local company EOG Resources Trinidad Ltd.
This consortium also owns another plant, the 650,000 MT per annum Nitrogen2000 plant, which commenced production in 2004.
The PCS 04, PLNL, CNC & N2000 plants use the Kellogg Advanced Ammonia Process.
The ammonia plant of the Ammonia-Urea Ammonium Nitrate-Melamine (AUM) complex is the newest addition to the ammonia manufacturing plants. Its production capacity is approximately 647,000 MT per annum and started production in April 2009. The table below shows the start-up date, technology, and annual capacity for each ammonia plant in Trinidad:
| Plant | Start-up Year | Technology | Annual Capacity (MT) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yara Trinidad Limited | 1959 | Braun | 285,000 |
| Tringen I | 1977 | Fluor | 500,000 |
| PCS 01 | 1981 | M.W. Kellogg | 445,000 |
| PCS 02 | 1981 | M.W. Kellogg | 445,000 |
| Tringen II | 1988 | Braun | 495,000 |
| PCS 03 | 1996 | Braun | 250,000 |
| PCS 04 | 1998 | Kellogg Advanced Ammonia Process (KAAP) | 650,000 |
| Point Lisas Nitrogen Limited (PLNL) | 1998 | Kellogg Advanced Ammonia Process (KAAP) | 650,000 |
| Caribbean Nitrogen Company (CNC) | 2002 | Kellogg Advanced Ammonia Process (KAAP) | 650,000 |
| Nitrogen 2000 (N2K) | 2004 | Kellogg Advanced Ammonia Process (KAAP) | 650,000 |
| AUM Ammonia | 2009 | Kellogg Advanced Ammonia Process (KAAP) | 650,000 |
Ammonia must be handled with care at all times. A typical Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) can be found at the link given below: http://www.jtbaker.com/msds/englishhtml/a5472.htm
Please refer to the link below for a more detailed description of the ammonia process: http://www.potashcorp.com/media/pdf/about/PCS_Trinidad_Fact_Sheet.pdf