Overview
- Fertil Pampa, a Pampa Energía unit, filed to enter Argentina’s large‑project incentive regime to build a granular urea complex with 2.1 million tons a year of capacity in Bahía Blanca.
- The project would convert natural gas from the Vaca Muerta shale into ammonia and urea, adding local industrial value and lowering the need for imported fertilizer.
- The company has requested up to $1.5 billion from BID Invest, which signaled a possible decision by year‑end, and the venture remains before a final investment decision.
- Argentina currently has one granular urea producer, Profertil in Bahía Blanca, so the new plant would cut imports, target about 60% of output to Brazil, and could bring in up to $890 million a year by 2030.
- Construction is expected to run about four years and employ roughly 3,500 workers, with 250–300 permanent jobs, and the outlook improves as recent Middle East disruptions lifted urea prices about 40%.