CO2 and fertiliser worries as last factory shuts
Britain’s only domestic fertiliser factory producing carbon dioxide is being shuttered due to high energy prices, raising alarm for the many organisations that depend on the gas for surgical operations, meat processing and production of beer and fizzy drinks.
With fertiliser prices reaching ever higher records this year, driving up farm input prices along with energy costs, the closure has also raised fresh worries about rising costs and potential livestock culls
CF Fertilisers UK, a subsidiary of US giant CF Industries Holdings Inc said it is temporarily stopping production at its Billingham factory as it has become uneconomical due to high gas prices.
The company put out a statement overnight saying current costs of natural gas are more than twice as high as a year ago, with prices expected to continue rising in the months ahead.
CF said it expects to fulfil all ammonia and nitric acid contracts and all orders of ammonia nitrate contracted for delivery in the coming months and will use the site to import gas from abroad.
The US company said in June it would permanently close its Chester plant, leaving Britain with just the Billingham fertiliser plant producing carbon dioxide.
Oliver Haill / Proactive
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