Tessenderlo Kerley International, a business unit of Tessenderlo Group, held a groundbreaking ceremony today to commence the construction of its new liquid fertilizer plant at the Chemelot site in Geleen, Netherlands. Tessenderlo Kerley International is a leading provider of liquid, soluble, and solid value-added plant nutrition solutions, supporting growers in achieving efficient and sustainable agriculture. The company is building a production facility for Thio-Sul® (ammonium thiosulfate/ATS), which will be used as a fertilizer for large-scale crop cultivation, as well as for horticulture and vegetable cultivation. The plant is expected to be operational by mid-2024 and will create employment opportunities for approximately 20 individuals.
Geert Gyselinck, Executive Vice President of Tessenderlo Kerley International, explained, “With the new facility in Geleen, our second Thio-Sul® plant in Europe, we are expanding our local presence in the precision agriculture liquid fertilizer market. The Geleen site will cater to the growing demand for liquid fertilizers in the European market. These fertilizers complement sulfur nutrients and minimize nitrogen losses.” In September 2017, Tessenderlo Kerley International launched its first European Thio-Sul® production plant in Rouen, France.
In addition to Tessenderlo Kerley Fleuren, a tank storage and transshipment company for liquid products located in the port of Cuijk, Netherlands, which was acquired by Tessenderlo Group in the first half of 2022, the new facility will further strengthen Tessenderlo Kerley International’s position in the Western European liquid fertilizer market. It will also support the company’s sustainability goals by bringing liquid fertilizers closer to its customers.
Loek Radix, Executive Director of Chemelot, commented on this milestone, stating, “With Tessenderlo-Kerley, we have gained another major player in the fertilizer industry expanding and complementing the existing production at Chemelot. The new liquid fertilizer plant is an excellent example of expanding the ammonia value chain at Chemelot. Utilizing ammonia produced at Chemelot has a positive impact on safety, sustainability, and competitiveness, aligning well with the Chemelot 2050 strategy.”
Yvonne Salvino-Meijer, Alderman for Economy in Sittard-Geleen, expressed her support, saying, “It is a great development that a renowned company like Tessenderlo Kerley has chosen the Chemelot site. This demonstrates that innovation, particularly in terms of sustainability and circularity, is important for sites like Chemelot and contributes to the future of our community and region.”
The engineering and construction of the facility will be carried out by LGI (Le Gaz Intégral), the same company that built the first Thio-Sul® plant in Rouen, France.