The Odesa port plant has identified a gas supplier and is preparing for opening

Odesa Port Plant (OPZ) is preparing to resume full operation by the end of this summer, despite the risks of shelling. This will be the first launch of the enterprise after a three-year standstill, informs Forbes Ukraine with reference to sources in the Cabinet of Ministers.

According to the source, OPZ plans to resume its activities already this month. Last month, the plant announced a tender for the purchase of natural gas in the amount of UAH 4.13 billion, which provides for the supply of gas by the end of the current year. The Kharkiv private company “Agrotorggrup” became the contractor for gas supply.

The plant ceased production in September 2021 due to high gas prices, which accounted for up to 90% of the cost of urea, as well as equipment wear and tear. Following the outbreak of full-scale war in February 2022, seaborne shipping of ammonia was halted due to the threat of missile strikes. Since then, OPZ has been engaged in non-core activities. High gas prices and cheap fertilizer imports from Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan also held back the plant’s recovery.

Information about OPZ

Odesa Port Plant, the largest state-owned chemical plant in Ukraine, has been producing ammonia, urea and liquid nitrogen since 1978. The plant is an important element of the country’s chemical industry, ensuring the production and export of key chemical products.

OPZ hopes that the resumption of work will help stabilize the situation on the domestic market of chemical products and strengthen the economy of the region. The plant plans not only to resume production, but also to improve the efficiency and competitiveness of its products on the international market.