On 15 October, Femke Wiersma, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature, laid the foundation stone for the new WESP installations at Yara Sluiskil. The two installations will help further reduce nitrogen emissions.
The technology sets a new benchmark for European fertiliser production and eliminates the characteristic plumes emitted by nitrate plants. As a result, local residents will literally be able to see that Yara is reducing its emissions.
The Norwegian parent company is again investing heavily in its Sluiskil production site. The plant, which is the largest ammonia and fertiliser production site in Europe, is considered of strategic importance. Besides substantial investments in increased flexibility, CO2 reduction, low-carbon hydrogen production and water recycling, Yara is now taking the next step in bringing down nitrogen emissions further. A Wet Electrostatic Precipitator (WESP) system is being installed, which will use a scrubbing liquid and electrostatic field to remove the last remnants of ammonia and nitrate-containing dust from the plume generated by the nitrate plants. The installation in nitrate plant 3 will come on stream in 2026, followed by the second installation in the other plant in 2027.
The new installations will reduce emissions by as much as 60 tons of ammonia and 160 tons of nitrogen-containing dust per year, representing 20% of Yara Sluiskil's total emissions. That is equivalent to the emissions from more than 4,500 cows and nearly six truckloads of dust each year.
“A twenty per cent nitrogen reduction, a major investment in an innovative technology that goes beyond what is legally required and the removal of the most visible plume into the environment. My congratulations to Yara for continuing to invest in a more sustainable port."
The dust and ammonia captured in the new plant will be reused as feedstock for production. This means that besides eliminating an emission to the air, waste will now also be used as a raw material.
Yara has already successfully applied the technology in Ravenna, Italy. The small-scale test results conducted in Sluiskil have been translated to industrial scale in recent years. Yara has worked closely with the provincial and national governments to make this technology, which goes beyond the legal requirement, a reality. These facilities, which will cost a combined €75 million, represent another major investment by the parent company. The Ministry of Climate and Green Growth is also contributing with a grant.
"Yara produces nitrogen-based chemicals, and its products contribute to the strategic autonomy of the Netherlands and Europe – above all through the fertilisers that ensure food security. But products like AdBlue and NOxCare that result in cleaner exhaust fumes from diesel engines and emissions from power plants, ships and steel mills also make a vital social contribution.”
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