Sulphuric Acid - NEWS - 2004

Rhodia Intend to Sell Chlor-Alkali and Sulphuric Acid Businesses to INEOS
SNC-Lavalin and Jacobs Consortium Awarded Engineering Contract for Phosphate Project in Saudi Arabia
Outokumpu announces a joint North American sulfuric acid plant technology marketing agreement
Phelps Dodge is Increasing copper Production in 2004, 2005
Southern Peru Announces the Signing of the Contract for the Ilo Smelter Modernization Project

Rhodia Intend to Sell Chlor-Alkali and Sulphuric Acid Businesses to INEOS

November 26th, 2004 - Rhodia today announced it has signed a letter of intent with INEOS Chlor Limited for the sale of its chlor-alkali and sulphuric acid businesses based at its site in Staveley, Derbyshire.  Production assets are not included in this proposed transaction and manufacturing of chlor-alkali at Staveley will cease during the first quarter of 2005. The agreement with INEOS Chlor, which is expected to be concluded before the end of 2004, ensures continuity of supply for our customers.

The site will continue to manufacture sulphuric acid products on an exclusive basis for supply to INEOS Chlor for an agreed period of time, after which the sulphuric acid plant will close, marking the total closure of the site.  This operation forms part of the divesture of non-strategic activities pursued by the Rhodia Group with a view to consolidating its business portfolio.

SNC-Lavalin and Jacobs Consortium Awarded Engineering Contract for Phosphate Project in Saudi Arabia

October 14, 2004 - SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. and Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. are pleased to announce that the consortium of their subsidiaries, SNC-Lavalin Europe BV and Jacobs' Delta Catalytic Saudi Arabia Ltd., has been awarded a US $5.7 million contract to provide advanced engineering services for the Saudi Arabian Mining Company's ("Ma'aden") Al-Jalamid Phosphate Project in Saudi Arabia.
The consortium's mandate is to design the Al-Jalamid phosphate mine, which Ma'aden expects will produce about 4.5 million tonnes of phosphate a year, and a world-scale integrated fetilizer complex. The fertilizer complex is designed to process the phosphate, and produce an estimated 2.9 million tonnes of diammonium phosphate per year, for use in commercial fertilzers.
"We have carried out a lot of the preliminary work on this project, so we were very happy to win the advanced engineering contract," said Pierre Duhaime, Executive Vice-President, SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. "The fertilizer complex will house some of the largest chemical plants in commercial operation anywhere. Our global experience designing and building world-scale facilities, in this and other sectors, amply qualifies us for the job."
In supporting comments, Jacobs Group Vice-President Pete Evans added, "We are pleased to bring our special expertise in the areas of benefication and fertilizer production for this most strategic industrial project."
The fertilizer complex will be located at Ras Az Zawr, north of Al-Jubail Industrial City on the Arabian Gulf. The design includes three 4,150 tonnes per day (tpd) sulphuric acid plants, three 1,460 tpd phosphoric acid plants, one 2,000 tpd ammonia plant, and three 3,120 tpd diammonium phosphate plants, as well as a dedicated port for Panamax-sized ships of up to 60,000 tonnes.

Outokumpu announces a joint North American sulfuric acid plant technology marketing agreement

February 24th, 2004 - Colt Engineering Corporation and Outokumpu Technology's, Lurgi Metallurgie GmbH, announces a joint North American sulfuric acid plant technology marketing agreement, covering engineering, procurement, and construction services to the acid plant industry.

The agreement provides joint project capability for the processing of gas from metallurgical operations, as well as sulfur burning acid plants.

Colt will provide multi discipline, design and detailed engineering, including procurement and construction management services from its office located in Toronto, Canada.

Lurgi Metallurgie will provide process engineering and the necessary support services for their sulfuric acid technologies, used to create value added products such as sulfuric acid, liquid SO2, oleum, spent acid, liquid SO3, ultra pure acid and other related products.

Karl-Heinz Daum, Vice President Business Sector, Sulfuric Acid/Off-Gas for Lurgi Metallurgie in Frankfurt, Germany, commenting on new relationship said, “I am very pleased to be working with Colt in North America. They provide us with a local responsive channel for delivering our sulfuric acid technologies to our North American customers. We look forward to close cooperation in this very important market'.

Brian Faulkner, General Manager of Colt's Toronto Division, responded with his support, “We look forward to providing Lurgi Metallurgie a strong presence in Canada and the USA. Colt and Lurgi Metallurgie are very complementary, leveraging world class process technology, our staff's extensive experience in the acid plant business and our high quality engineering processes'.

Phelps Dodge is Increasing copper Production in 2004, 2005

January 29, 2004 - Phelps Dodge Corp. is increasing production at several mining and processing facilities in North and South America.  The decision comes in response to higher copper prices and indications that the imporved market for copper is sustainable.  As a result, the Miami smelter will begin running at 100 percent by the third quarter of 2004.  The smetler has been running at a reduced rate since 2002.

Southern Peru Announces the Signing of the Contract for the Ilo Smelter Modernization Project

January 7, 2004 - Southern Peru Copper Corp has awarded an engineering contract to modernise its Ilo copper smelter to Swedish company Xstrata Technology and US based Fluor.   The project will utilise Xstrata's Isasmelt technology to process 1.2 million tonnes of copper concentrate per year.  For some years Southern Peru Copper Corporation has been assessing their option to modernise the Ilo plant with the aim of reducing operating costs and improving environmental performance," Xstrata Technology pyrometallurgy business manager Philip Arthur said.  "Recent successes at Mt Isa other Isasmelt plants around the world have convinced SPCC that Isasmelt is the preferred technology."

The project will be developed in two or three phases, depending on the evolution of international copper markets. SPCC said it estimated project construction would take about thee years and be completed before January 2007, which is the deadline established by the PAMA.