Australian urea plant commissions Linde Engineering

Linde Engineering will provide its expertise to a planned urea plant in Karratha, Western Australia, with the German multinational contracted by Perdaman Industries to engineer and procure an air separation unit (ASU) and a nitrogen wash unit (NWU).

Perdaman is investing $4.5 billion in the plant, which will convert natural gas into urea, a widely used fertiliser for food production. Upon completion, the plant will be the largest in Australia, the companies said.

The single-train ASU will have a capacity of 63,000 Nm³/h of gaseous oxygen. The single-train NWU will have a capacity of 392,000 Nm³/h syngas to supply the downstream ammonia plant.

Prior to signing the contract, Linde Engineering provided solutions and input for the project’s feasibility, as well as front-end engineering design (FEED) studies.

“The new agreement builds on a business relationship with Perdaman stretching back more than a decade. We are pleased that the company entrusts us with this milestone project for urea production,” said Robert Eichelmann, Senior Vice President Linde Engineering APAC.

“Our team of experts around the world are now joining forces to deliver. The project demonstrates Linde’s capabilities in APAC and supports Australia’s growing clean energy market by providing ammonia as a low-carbon feedstock for urea production,” Eichelmann added.

“This project will help to ensure that Australia has a secure and reliable source of high-quality urea and therefore food security. Linde has been awarded this significant project to deliver an air separation unit and nitrogen wash unit based on its technical expertise and operational excellence,” said Vikas Rambal, Chairman of Perdaman.

Perdaman commissioned two lead engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractors — Clough of Western Australia and Saipem of Italy — to implement the planned urea plant. Both companies are managing the overall realisation in a 50/50 joint venture. The joint venture placed the order for the air separation unit and the nitrogen wash unit with Linde.

Image caption: 3D illustration of the plant in Karratha, Western Australia. Copyright: Perdaman