adminLovemore Zigara Midlands Correspondent
THE country’s sole Ammonium Nitrate (AN) fertilizer manufacturer, Sable Chemicals, is mulling introducing coal bed methane (CBM) technology to replace the electrolysis plant at its Kwekwe plant. CBM is a form of natural gas which is extracted from coal and the fuel has been discovered in Lupane.
The gas has become an important source of energy in the United States, Canada, Australia and other countries.
The company had initially adopted Coal Gasification technology to replace the electrolysis plant in an investment which was expected to gobble a staggering $680 million.
However, funding constraints seems to have contributed to the change of plan.
The fertilizer manufacturer, a subsidiary of TA Holdings, has been using the electrolysis plant commissioned in the early 70s which consumes a lot of power compared to CBM technology that generates its own electricity during the manufacture of hydrogen, a major component in the production of ammonia.
The company’s chief executive officer, Jack Murehwa, said recent explorations in Lupane revealed that there are vast reserves of the fuel and his company is considering adopting the technology.
Murehwa, however, said Coal Gasification Project is still very much in the picture.
“The commitment is there to change the technology and as things have turned right now there is an option of either going coal gasification or steam reforming using coal bed methane. So we are looking at both options.
“In terms of setting up the technology CMB is much cheaper than gasification. In the past, our problem with CBM was that although we knew the natural gas existed in Lupane, we had no idea of how much of it was there and how to get it out of the ground.
“Recently experts working on CBM in Lupane have told us about the quantities. They have also advised that it can be extracted, so it is then possible to use it as feedstock for the new plant. Things are now happening in a better way. CBM is cheaper than coal and chances are that we are going CBM,” said Murehwa.
He however said the company was yet to secure funding for the project but hinted that there could be a breakthrough from Chinese financiers.
Adopting a new technology will result in the AN fertilizer manufacturer weaning itself from the national grid.
The top dressing fertilizer manufacturer gobbles an average of 80 Megawatts of electricity per month which makes it the biggest power consumer in the country.
The Kwekwe-based company is operating at around 40 percent capacity and employs close to 500 workers.
It produces between 70,000 to 80,000 tonnes of AN fertilizer monthly. Plans are under way to increase production to 100,000 tonnes per month.
The company has the potential to produce 240,000 tonnes of the commodity per month which is enough to meet the country’s requirements.
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