QatarEnergy has announced its decision to build a new, world-scale urea production complex that will more than double Qatar’s urea production, playing a pivotal role in enhancing global food production and security.

The mega project entails building three ammonia production lines that will supply feedstock to four new world-scale urea production trains in Mesaieed Industrial City.

The new facilities, on completion, will more than double Qatar’s urea production from about six million tons per annum currently to 12.4 million tons per annum. Production from the project’s first new urea train is expected before the end of this decade.

The announcement was made by Saad Al-Kaabi, the Minister of State for Energy Affairs, the President and CEO of QatarEnergy, during a press conference held at the headquarters of QatarEnergy in Doha.

Al-Kaabi said: “We have been producing ammonia and urea in Qatar for over 50 years. Today, we are expanding our experience and further solidifying our position by this unprecedented mega project that will make the State of Qatar the world’s largest urea producer, playing a crucial role in ensuring food security for hundreds of millions of people around the globe, day after day.”

Al-Kaabi added: “Developing this project in Mesaieed Industrial City will ensure the optimum utilisation of the excellent existing infrastructure for the petrochemical and fertiliser industries, including the city’s export port, which is one of the largest fertiliser and petrochemical export facilities in the Mena region. It will also establish Mesaieed as the urea production capital of the world.”