Ma'an, February 16 (Petra) -- Prime Minister Jaafar Hassan laid the foundation stone for the second phase of the Sulphuric and Phosphoric Acid Plants in the Al-Shidiya area, Al-Jafr District, Ma'an.

The project, owned by the Phosphate Mines Company, is estimated to cost JOD250 million and is expected to create around 300 direct job opportunities and 500 indirect jobs.

Hassan emphasised the importance of the Phosphate Mines Company implementing training and retraining programmes for the local community, including university graduates and vocational training graduates, in line with the project's various stages.

The programmes will help locals benefit from the job opportunities the project will generate.

He was briefed by Abdul Wahab Ruwad, CEO of the Jordan Phosphate Mines Company, on the project, which has been awarded and is set to be completed over 18 months with an investment value of $250 million.

Ruwad explained that the project's second phase aims to increase the sulfuric acid plant's production capacity from 2,200 metric tons daily to 4,450 metric tons (equivalent to 1.5 million metric tons annually).

The phase will generate an additional 20 megawatts of energy per hour, with the potential to export 9 megawatts.

The project will boost the production capacity of the phosphoric acid plant from 900 metric tons per day to 1,600 metric tons daily (equivalent to 550,000 metric tons of P2O5 per year).

Ruwad discussed the company's parallel work on the phosphate flotation project, valued at $125 million.

The project will produce approximately 2 million tons of high-quality floated phosphate annually and is expected to be completed by the end of next month.

It will provide 250 direct job opportunities and 2,000 indirect jobs, mainly in the shipping sector, with daily transportation of 20,000 tons of phosphate to the factory.

He mentioned the ongoing phosphate washing water treatment project, with a financial cost of $25 million.

This project aims to treat the muddy water from washing phosphate ore at the Shidiya mine, producing approximately 7,000 cubic meters of pure water daily for the company’s factories.

The construction is expected to be completed, and operations will begin by September of this year.

Ruwad noted that the project would significantly increase phosphate consumption. With the expansion of the industrial complex in Aqaba and future projects involving potash and partnerships in the phosphoric acid industry, the Phosphate Mines Company plans to increase its local consumption to 70%, while reducing external exports by 30%.

The Prime Minister, accompanied by the Ministers of Local Administration and Energy and Mineral Resources, inspected the work progress at the sulfuric and phosphoric acid plants.

//Petra// AK
16/02/2025 18:38:47