Additional workers and equipment have been deployed in July 2026 and next to Algeria's Annaba phosphate port expansion project, aiming to see the project completed by 1Q27, according to Algeria's Works and Infrastructure Ministry.
The project's workforce will double and Annaba “will be reinforced with additional machinery and equipment [...] to accelerate the pace of work and guarantee the project's delivery within the scheduled deadlines”, the ministry said, according to Algerian state-controlled media.
The project centres around building a deepwater quay that can handle up to 80 000 t ships, built in order to strengthen the competitiveness of Algerian phosphate rock and fertilizer exports. Algeria's phosphate rock producer and Sonarem subsidiary Somiphos presently loads shipments of up to 55 000 t.
The port expansion is part of Algeria's Integrated Phosphate Project (IPP), a partnership between state-owned energy company Sonatrach and state-owned mining firm Sonarem. The IPP includes the development of phosphate deposits in Bled El Hadba and a phosphoric acid, sulfuric acid and ammonia facility in Oued Keberit, Souk Ahras province.
The IPP “is scheduled to enter production during 1Q27, coinciding with the completion of the Annaba port expansion project and its readiness to export its initial phosphate shipments", the government has stated.
The IPP Souk Ahras phosphoric acid production facility will have a capacity of 900 000 tpy of P2O5, with potential phosphate rock demand of around 3 million tpy, according to Argus Media analysts. Similarly, Argus research estimated that the Bled El Hadba mine will supply the Oued Keberit facilities and is already in operation and building up stocks.
Somiphos said it will market some of the phosphate rock from Bled El Hadba for export before the phosphoric acid production in Oued Keberit comes online.
Somiphos also expects to complete a 1 million tpy expansion at its Djebel Onk mine by July 2027. It is aiming for its production to reach 1.8 million t over 2026. After the expansion is completed, Somiphos will likely supply phosphate rock to Indonesia, under an agreement for up to 1 million tpy signed with state-owned fertilizer group Pupuk Indonesia in January.
Original article written by Adebiyi Olusolape and Tom Hampson for Argus Media.