All news
PhosAgro: Where does the production cycle begin?
Where does the production cycle begin? Mineral raw materials are mined at the Kirov branch of JSC Apatit.
This mining and processing plant in the Murmansk region has a history of almost 100 years. The company was founded in 1929 on the basis of a deposit of apatite-nepheline ores in the Khibiny Mountains, one of the world's largest deposits of phosphorus-containing raw materials for the production of fertilizers.
☘Phosphorus is one of the key elements necessary for plant nutrition. At the same time, in addition to Russia, the main reserves of phosphorus-containing raw materials are concentrated in only five countries in the world: China, Morocco, the USA and Jordan. Our raw materials have excellent environmental properties compared to most global competitors. They are of magmatic origin and are not associated with the accumulation of toxic metals.
🏔Currently, six Khibiny deposits are being developed: Kukisvumchorrskoye, Yuksporskoye, Apatitovy Tsirk, Rasvumchorr Plateau, Koashvinskoye and Nyorkpakhskoye. These deposits will serve for approximately 60 years.
Interesting! Most of their names come from the Sami language of the Finno-Ugric people. For example, Kukisvumchorr in Sami means "mountain next to a long valley."
💰 PhosAgro is implementing a large-scale investment program to maintain stable production of apatite-nepheline ore (about 40 million tons per year). To this end, we are launching a new production horizon to replace products whose reserves have already been depleted.
🏭 There are two processing plants in Kirovsk and Apatity that crush ore and produce apatite concentrate with a phosphorus pentoxide content of more than 39.0%. For comparison, the phosphorus pentoxide content in the products of global competitors is much lower and is approximately 30-32%.
We strive to process this precious raw material directly into fertilizers. But in Kirovsk, beyond the Arctic Circle, it is not economically feasible to do this. For this, we locate production complexes closer to the centers of fertilizer consumption and export ports of Russian farmers: Cherepovets, Volkhov and Balakovo. Unlike the Murmansk Region, it is supplied with natural gas - an important component for the production of complex fertilizers.
I will talk about this in my next post.