Opening of Tessenderlo Kerley plant at Chemelot
Important step towards circular and climate neutral future
On Thursday 21st of November, Tessenderlo Kerley International proudly opened its new liquid fertilizer plant at the Chemelot site in Geleen. This strategic choice of location underscores Chemelot's position as a circular and sustainable industrial site and marks an important step in the shared ambition to create a fully climate-neutral and circular chemistry site by 2050. The plant, which produces ammonium thiosulphate (Thio-Sul®), a liquid fertilizer that supplies nitrogen and sulfur, plays a crucial role in the sustainable agriculture sector. ‘The decision to build the new Thio-Sul plant at Chemelot was a natural choice. Here, Tessenderlo Kerley is not only close to key customers in the Benelux, Germany and northern France, but also to the critical raw materials essential for the production process." explains Geert Gyselinck, Executive Vice President of Tessenderlo Kerley International.
Importance of synergies within Chemelot
Chemelot is known as an important production center for fertilizers in Europe. Tessenderlo Kerley's new plant adds an extra dimension to this by being perfectly integrated with the existing ammonia value chain. This strong integration means that ammonia, one of the key components for Thio-Sul, is directly available within Chemelot, enhancing safety, reducing transport costs and minimizing the carbon footprint. ‘This project reflects the unique value of the Chemelot ecosystem,’ states Koos van Haasteren, Chemelot's new Executive Director. ‘This synergy allows raw materials to be sourced competitively on-site within an energy-efficient and ultimately circular value chain, located central to the European market.’
Innovation and sustainability in production
The production of Thio-Sul at the new plant relies on innovative sulfur chemistry technologies, ensuring an energy-efficient and safe operations. In this context, we are proud that our Thio-Sul fertilizer, now produced both in Geleen (NL) and Rouen (FR), recently received full homologation in France . Thio-Sul is not only the best thiosulphate nutrient product for crops, but also a wonderful building block in farmers' efforts to achieve maximum yields with minimal nitrogen losses to the environment, thereby increasing nitrogen use efficiency.
The new, state-of-the-art production facility in Geleen strengthens our position as market leader and embodies our long-term commitment to sustainability, innovation and growth.’ says Geert Gyselinck.
These advancements enable Tessenderlo Kerley to reduce nitrogen losses while simultaneously optimizing sulfur supply, resulting in higher yields and improved soil health.
Chemelot and Tessenderlo Kerley
"Chemelot offers a unique setting for companies actively contributing to sustainability and circularity, and we are delighted that Tessenderlo Kerley is part of this ecosystem ’ says Koos van Haasteren. "With the arrival of Tessenderlo Kerley, we gain another global player committed to safe, sustainable and innovative agricultural solutions. The integration of processes and raw materials within Chemelot enables the efficient use of not only production materials, but also residual heat and ammonia. This highlights the strength of our integrated system."
Chemelot climate Neutral and Circular by 2050 at the latest
Chemelot is renowned for its strong focus on safety, circularity and energy efficiency. This collaboration brings all these elements together. The commissioning of this plant marks another step towards achieving the carbon neutrality goals and our path to 2050. "The arrival of Tessenderlo Kerley International at Chemelot is another step towards sustainable industry and circular chemistry. A plant like this contributes not only to a greener future, but also to a safe environment and a healthy economy in our region. This synergy at Chemelot creates new employment opportunities , reduces the need for hazardous transportation and strengthens the innovative power that propels Limburg forward." says Stephan Satijn, regional Minister for Economy, Finance and Business Operations and Public Affairs.
Tessenderlo Kerley
Tessenderlo Kerley, part of the Tessenderlo Group, supplies liquid and soluble fertilizers to support sustainable and efficient agriculture. The company plays an important role in precision farming, with a strong focus on innovation and customer-oriented solutions.
Chemelot
Chemelot is one of the most important industrial clusters in the Netherlands. The Chemelot Industrial Park, is home to 17 production companies operating in 60 different plants that are highly interconnected, in terms of energy and raw material flows. Alongside these companies, and in the unique combination with the Brightlands Chemelot Campus, significant efforts are being made to transition toward sustainable production.
Besides the energy transition, the raw material transition is equally important. Chemelot's ambition is to produce in a fully circular manner by 2050. Thanks to the interconnectedness of its facilities, Chemelot is exceptionally well- position to achieve this. Approximately 8,000 employees work across more than 200 companies on its 800-hectare site.
More information
Tamara Broos; M: +32 471 80 55 26 - E: Tamara.Broos@tessenderlo.com
