Atome hails progress on green fertilizer project in Costa Rica

Atome Energy announced on Wednesday that it has made ‘material progress’ on a green ammonia and fertilizer project in Costa Rica. The UK-based hydrogen and ammonia firm said that its Central American arm, National Ammonia Corporation S.A. (NAC), has entered into a framework collaboration agreement with the Costa Rican state power company, ICE, to assess the feasibility of supplying power to the project.

Atome said that the deal represents a significant step towards securing 100% renewable power for what will be Costa Rica’s first industrial-scale green ammonia and fertilizer plant. Atome – which noted that the project has received support from Costa Rica’s president – pointed out that, with its existing renewable power, premium agricultural industry, and strategic location, the country is ideal for green fertilizer production.

The company’s CEO, Olivier Mussat, commented that “Within a year since the creation of NAC, thanks to the significant progress on our Villeta project [in Paraguay] and our strong local team led by Cavendish SA, we have been able to establish an excellent working relationship with ICE with the aim of building Costa Rica’s first green fertilizer facility.

“There is a substantial local market for the fertilizer we intend to produce as well as being strategically located to access global markets. Costa Rica is viewed as a prime investment destination with significant existing foreign investors . . .

“Whilst the 145MW Villeta Phase 1 Project remains the near term priority for the team, the progress made on Costa Rica is significant . . . Beyond adding another flagship project to our pipeline, it is a demonstration of ATOME’s business plan and its growing reputation as a world leader in green fertilizer.”