Production - Montoir

The Montoir fertilizer plant was built in 1969. It is located on a 30-hectare site at the point where the Loire River meets the Atlantic Ocean.

Production units

The site has a nitric acid plant, an NPK fertilizer plant and a nitrate plant.

The plant uses the Nantes - Saint Nazaire harbor for the unloading of raw materials and loading of ships for export.

The complex fertilizer plant is characterized by its flexibility, annually producing more than 50 different grades. Investments were made in 2003 in order to increase hourly rates by implementing new crushers.

Originally the nitrate unit produced ammonium nitrate fertilizer 33.5 but has been modified to produce newly developed special-grade nitrate-based fertilizers.

An aqueous ammonia unit and a CO2 storage unit were added in 2007 and are in operation.

Sustainability

Montoir is ISO 9001-registered and is continuously improving its quality.

The plant is ISO 14001 certified.

During the past 10 years many investments have been made to improve industrial safety and to reduce the level of emissions. Milestones have been the investments to reduce NPK dust emissions to air (reduction by 90 percent), N2O and NOx emissions. A wall around the ammonia storage unit has been erected.

Facts about Montoir

Key dates

• 1972 Start of production - company GARDILOIRE
• 1978 Company becomes part of Rhone Poulenc group
• 1983 Company becomes part of Total group
• 1986 Acquisition by Norsk Hydro
• 2004 Company becomes part of Yara International

Production volumes:

Nitrates      200,000 tons
NPK           400,000 tons

Montoir 2008