Algeria begins construction of 3m-ton fertilizer complex
The complex will have capacity of nearly 3 million tons a year, including 2.4 million tons of phosphate fertilizers and 570,000 tons of nitrogen fertilizers.
ALGERIA – Algeria has begun construction of a major phosphate processing and fertilizer production complex at Oued Kebrit in Souk Ahras, marking a key step in the country’s Integrated Phosphate Project.
The government laid the first stone for the facility on September 24, 2026, as it moves to develop an integrated mining, chemical processing, and fertilizer production chain.
The Oued Kebrit complex will form the industrial processing arm of the wider project, receiving enriched phosphate from the Bled El Hadba mining and beneficiation complex in Tébessa.
According to Sonatrach, Phase One is designed to produce approximately 2.4 million tonnes per year of phosphate fertilizers and 570,000 tonnes per year of nitrogen fertilizers, mainly urea. Combined, the announced fertilizer capacity approaches 3 million tonnes annually.
The facility will also manufacture key chemical intermediates required for fertilizer production, including sulfuric acid, phosphoric acid and ammonia.
This integrated configuration is intended to allow Algeria to convert locally mined phosphate into higher-value fertilizer products rather than relying primarily on the export of raw or partially processed mineral resources.
Italian engineering company SAIPEM is constructing the Oued Kebrit complex under an accelerated EPC Fast Track model covering engineering, procurement, and construction.
Several Sonatrach subsidiaries, including the Algerian company for the realization of industrial projects (SARPI), the National Civil Engineering and Building Company (GCB), and the National Company for Major Petroleum Works (GTP), are also participating in the implementation of the project.
The project is linked to the Bled El Hadba phosphate development, where Algeria is establishing an extraction and beneficiation complex.
Sonatrach says the mining site is planned to have raw phosphate extraction capacity of 5.5 million tonnes annually and production capacity of 3.2 million tonnes of phosphate concentrate per year.
The concentrate will feed the chemical transformation facilities at Oued Kebrit.
The final major component is the development of dedicated port infrastructure at Annaba.
Sonatrach signed a separate EPC contract with China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) for the port facilities, intended to support the movement and export of phosphate products and surplus fertilizer production.
Algeria expects the integrated project to strengthen domestic fertilizer supply while creating opportunities for exports.
Sonatrach has described the development as strategically important for meeting the agricultural sector’s growing fertilizer requirements, generating industrial value and supporting food security.
The project is also expected to stimulate employment and industrial development across Tébessa, Souk Ahras and Annaba, with Sonatrach projecting thousands of direct and indirect jobs from the wider integrated phosphate development.
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