Last operational fertilizer producer in Romania stopped production again
Azomures has stopped fertilizer production again
The Azomures fertilizer plant (owned by Ameropa), the only one still producing according to Economedia news portal, has shut down its operations again.
The decision comes as worrying news for Romanian farmers, just before the start of the fall agricultural campaign.
Gas price fluctuations affect production
Azomures has stopped production again after several interruptions and restarts lately. According to quoted source, the production unit has been operating with ups and downs for about three years, more shut down than open, because of gas prices.
"When gas is cheaper, Azomures can operate. Now, with the problems in the Middle East and Ukraine's announcement that it will no longer allow Russian gas to transit to Europe, it has started to get expensive again, so the Swiss (Ameropa) owners of Azomures have stopped production again. The fact that Azomures is no longer consuming gas can be seen in Transgaz's (gas transport company) interactive data. The transit of gas to Hungary and the Republic of Moldova stays constant, but in addition, we are exporting more than two million cubic meters of domestic production to Ukraine and Hungary. We can do this because the deposits are already 88% full and will be at 100% within a month," the source said.
Gas supply chain
The gas enters the country from Bulgaria and it comes via Turkey. Turkey is now in a position to export gas, despite the fact that it is largely dependent on imports, because it has started exploiting fields in the Black Sea.
Romania gets most of its gas from domestic production plus some imports. By the end of 2026, gas should start to be extracted from the Black Sea, which would double production. At that point, Romania could become an important supplier of gas to the region. While investments in greener energy are ongoing (especially solar, wind, nuclear).
Out of the several gas-based fertiliser companies which used to operate in Romania, Azomures is the last one “still standing”. The company resumed production in January after suspending fertilizer production last December. The plant is the biggest gas consumer in Romania and is vital for Romanian agriculture, especially as farmers prepare themselves for sowing.