USDA accelerates Blue Point ammonia permitting and restarts stalled fertilizer expansion projects

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said May 19 that the Army Corps of Engineers permit for CF Industries’ Blue Point ammonia project, planned as the world’s largest ammonia plant, could be finalized within 45 days, as the Trump administration outlined a broader set of steps to expand domestic fertilizer production and reduce input costs for U.S. farmers.

The Blue Point Complex, a $4 billion joint venture between CF Industries, Japan’s JERA, and Mitsui, is under construction in Ascension Parish, Louisiana. Designed to produce 1.4 million metric tonnes of low-carbon ammonia per year using autothermal reforming and carbon capture, it is scheduled for first production in 2029. Rollins described the expedited permitting as evidence of “Trump speed” and contrasted it with what she said would have been years of delays under a previous administration.

Rollins also announced that USDA is restarting several stalled projects under the Biden-era Fertilizer Production Expansion Program, which allocated $900 million for domestic fertilizer investment. An $80 million project in Washington state, designed to produce 700,000 tonnes of hydrogen-based ammonia fertilizer annually, was cited as one project being accelerated toward completion. Rollins said additional details on funding and project specifics would follow.

The announcement comes as U.S. urea prices have pulled back approximately 17% from their March peak of $725.6 per tonne — the highest level in four years, driven by the Strait of Hormuz closure — but remain roughly 23% above year-ago levels. Rollins said the administration is also coordinating with the Department of Justice on potential price-gouging scrutiny in fertilizer markets.

Source: Brownfield Ag News