Fertilizer Plants in Algeria: From Gas Reserves to Granular Product
We will cover a genuine mismatch in Algeria’s fertilizer sector: some of the largest nitrogen export capacity in North Africa, alongside a domestic blending base that’s comparatively small next to the country’s own cereal self-sufficiency push.
Cereals, dates and a self-sufficiency drive
Algeria’s main crops are cereals mainly wheat and barley alongside citrus fruit, dates, olives and vegetables, concentrated in the fertile plains around Bejaïa and Annaba, the Mitidja Plain, and the area around Oran. Wheat currently covers around 80% of domestic demand, and the government has set a target of full self-sufficiency in durum wheat production; the 2026 harvest is projected at over 2.4 million tonnes of durum and more than 900,000 tonnes of barley, though how much of that reflects a lasting structural shift versus a single favourable rainfall year remains to be seen. Dates have become Algeria’s second-largest export after hydrocarbons, with France, Russia, Senegal and Belgium as leading destinations.
A gas-rich nitrogen exporter with a smaller domestic blending base
Algeria’s roughly 159 trillion cubic feet of recoverable gas reserves have made it a significant ammonia and urea producer, mostly for export rather than domestic use. Fertial, a joint venture involving state-owned Asmidal, operates ammonia and urea plants in Arzew and Annaba with a combined capacity of roughly 1.6 million tonnes of ammonia and 1.26 million tonnes of urea after a modernisation programme. Sorfert, now part of the Fertiglobe group (which also operates plants in the UAE and Egypt), adds a further 1 million tonnes of ammonia and up to 1.1 million tonnes of urea capacity at Arzew, with the bulk of its urea output going to the domestic market and most of its ammonia exported, largely to Western Europe.
What’s comparatively modest is domestic NPK blending: Algeria’s blending capacity runs at roughly 200,000–250,000 tonnes per year, supplemented by a further 100,000 tonnes or so imported from abroad — a fraction of the ammonia and urea volumes the country already produces.
| Capacity | Orientation | |
|---|---|---|
| Ammonia (Fertial + Sorfert) | ~2.6 Mt/yr combined | Majority export, primarily to Western Europe |
| Urea (Fertial + Sorfert) | ~2.3–2.4 Mt/yr combined | Split between domestic supply and export |
| NPK blending | ~200,000–250,000 t/yr domestic + ~100,000 t/yr imported | Domestic market only — the smallest link in the chain |
Where this connects to equipment choices
The gap in that table, large nitrogen production, comparatively small NPK blending capacity, is the part of Algeria’s fertilizer sector most exposed to its own cereal self-sufficiency ambitions. If durum wheat and barley self-sufficiency is to hold beyond a single good harvest, it will likely depend on more of that domestically-produced ammonia and urea being converted into blended product for Algerian farmers rather than exported as raw ammonia. That conversion step is a granulation and blending question rotary drum granulation for producing NPK grades suited to wheat and barley, and drying/cooling equipment sized to handle it without creating a bottleneck. We’re not aware of specific blending capacity expansions currently underway in Algeria; this is offered as the structural gap the public data points to, not a claim about any announced project.
Algeria: North Africa's Gas-and-Phosphate Fertilizer Play
Two resources in one country
Algeria is unusual in North Africa because it has both of the main raw materials for fertilizer: natural gas for nitrogen products (ammonia and urea), and phosphate rock for phosphate fertilizers. Morocco dominates phosphate, and Egypt is a gas-based nitrogen producer. Algeria has both, but until now it has only developed the gas side at scale. The Integrated Phosphate Project is designed to change that.
The nitrogen side: already a major urea exporter
Algeria has 3.6 million tonnes a year of granular urea capacity. AOA (Algerian Omani Fertilizer Company) runs two 1.2 Mt/yr plants, and Sorfert runs a third 1.2 Mt/yr plant. AOA was developed by Sonatrach and Oman’s Suhail Bahwan Group for €2.3 billion and is based at Arzew, Algeria’s main petrochemical hub. Fertial, part-owned by Sonatrach’s subsidiary Asmidal, produces ammonia at Arzew and Annaba. All three run on cheap domestic gas, and the country’s recoverable gas reserves are estimated at about 159 trillion cubic feet.
Most of this output is exported. Algeria was Spain’s largest urea supplier in 2021, providing a third of its imports, until a political dispute in 2022 interrupted trade. Gas supply is a long-running constraint. Sorfert’s owner, Fertiglobe, has been renegotiating the plant’s gas contract, and power outages have also affected output.
The phosphate side: the $7 billion Integrated Phosphate Project
This is the main story for this page. The project combines mining and enriching phosphate at Bled El Hadba (Tébessa province) with a chemical complex at Oued Keberit (Souk Ahras province). The Oued Keberit complex will use natural gas to turn the phosphate into phosphate and nitrogen fertilizers. Key facts:
- Scale: Bled El Hadba has about 1.2 billion tonnes of estimated reserves, of which roughly 800 million tonnes are exploitable. That makes it one of the largest phosphate mines of its kind in the world. Algeria’s eastern phosphate basin is estimated to hold more than 3 billion tonnes of geological resources.
- Phase 1 capacity: extraction of 5.5 million tonnes a year, producing about 3.2 million tonnes a year of phosphate concentrate.
- National output: President Tebboune says the project will raise Algeria’s phosphate production from 2.5 million to 10.5 million tonnes a year.
- Products: Oued Keberit is set to produce phosphoric acid, sulphuric acid and ammonia as the base for phosphate and nitrogen fertilizers. One industry analysis puts the target at 6 Mt of upgraded phosphate and 4 Mt of fertilizers a year from 2027.
- Partners: the project is a partnership between state groups Sonatrach (energy) and Sonarem (mining).
- Contracts: on 12 August 2026, Sonatrach and the Algerian Fertilizers Company signed two main construction (EPC) contracts:
- Italy’s Saipem will build the processing and fertilizer facilities at Bled El Hadba and Oued Keberit.
- China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) will build the port facilities at Annaba.
- Logistics: a 422 km mining railway will link Bled El Hadba, Tébessa, Souk Ahras and Annaba, carrying phosphate to processing and export.
- Timeline: the first phosphate shipments from Annaba are expected between late 2026 and mid-2027. The President has said the phosphoric acid plant will start in late 2026 or early 2027. Analysts expect fertilizer production from Q4 2027.
Agriculture and the self-sufficiency push
Algeria is North Africa’s largest wheat consumer and a major importer. The government set 2025 as the year to become self-sufficient in durum wheat, and 2026 for barley and corn. For the 2024/25 season, it dedicated 3.069 million hectares to cereals and made more than 3.5 million quintals (about 350,000 tonnes) of fertilizer available. Durum wheat and barley made up 85% of the planted area. After poor harvests, the government also supplied seed and fertilizer to cereal farmers free of charge.
Results so far are mixed. FAO forecasts a 2025/26 cereal harvest of about 5 million tonnes, but Algeria is still expected to import 14.5 million tonnes of cereals in 2026/27, including 8.5 million tonnes of wheat. Most wheat imports are soft (bread) wheat, about 75–80% of the total.
Where this connects to equipment
Algeria’s gap has never been raw materials. It has gas for nitrogen and phosphate for phosphorus. The gap has been the processing in between: turning phosphate rock into phosphoric acid and finished phosphate fertilizers, and producing blended NPK for its own farmers instead of exporting straight urea and ammonia. The Integrated Phosphate Project closes the first part of that gap.
Once phosphoric acid and ammonia are both produced domestically, it becomes practical to make finished granulated phosphate and NPK products in Algeria. That is where granulation, drying, cooling and screening equipment becomes directly relevant. The same applies to the domestic market: a government pushing cereal self-sufficiency, and already distributing fertilizer to farmers, needs reliable local NPK supply.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Algeria produce fertilizer?
Yes. Algeria is a major producer and exporter of nitrogen fertilizers, made from its natural gas reserves. It has about 3.6 million tonnes a year of granular urea capacity, plus ammonia production at Arzew and Annaba. It is now building a large phosphate fertilizer industry through the Integrated Phosphate Project.
Who are Algeria's main fertilizer producers?
- AOA (Algerian Omani Fertilizer Company): runs two 1.2 Mt/yr urea plants at Arzew. It was developed by Sonatrach and Oman’s Suhail Bahwan Group.
- Sorfert: runs a 1.2 Mt/yr urea plant at Arzew and is part of the Fertiglobe group.
- Fertial: part-owned by Sonatrach’s subsidiary Asmidal, it produces ammonia at Arzew and Annaba.
Why is Algeria a strong location for nitrogen fertilizer production?
Ammonia and urea are made from natural gas, and Algeria has large gas reserves, estimated at about 159 trillion cubic feet of recoverable gas. Cheap domestic gas has made Algeria one of North Africa’s main nitrogen fertilizer exporters.
Where does Algeria export its fertilizer?
Most of Algeria’s ammonia and urea is exported, much of it to Europe. Algeria was Spain’s largest urea supplier in 2021, providing about a third of its imports, until a political dispute in 2022 interrupted trade.
What is Algeria's Integrated Phosphate Project?
It is a $7 billion project to mine and process phosphate in eastern Algeria. Phosphate will be mined and enriched at Bled El Hadba, in Tébessa province, and turned into phosphate and nitrogen fertilizers at a chemical complex at Oued Keberit, in Souk Ahras province. It is a partnership between the state groups Sonatrach and Sonarem.
How big is the Bled El Hadba phosphate mine?
Bled El Hadba has about 1.2 billion tonnes of estimated reserves, of which roughly 800 million tonnes are exploitable. That makes it one of the largest phosphate mines of its kind in the world. Phase 1 is designed to extract 5.5 million tonnes a year and produce about 3.2 million tonnes of phosphate concentrate.