Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Karim Badawi, accompanied by Mohamed El-Zamlout, Governor of New Valley, and several members of the Parliament, led an inspection tour of Misr Phosphate Company’s phosphate production projects in the Abu Tartour plateau, New Valley Governorate. They also followed up on the work progress in the phosphoric acid production project.

During the tour, Misr Phosphate Chairman, Mohamed Abdel Azim, presented a historical overview of the discovery of phosphate ores in the Abu Tartour area. He reviewed the company’s current plans for developing exploration activities, production, and phosphate ore reserves, all aimed at maintaining the company’s position among the major producers of phosphate ore.

Abdel Azim briefed the minister on the progress of work on the phosphoric acid project, which contributes to increasing the added value of phosphate ore. He stated that the project’s investment value is approximately $640 million. The project’s location was chosen within the company site on the Abu Tartour plateau to fully utilize existing facilities and be adjacent to the mine producing phosphate ore.

Additionally, Abdel Azim reviewed the progress of the Misr Indorama project for producing phosphate fertilizers. This project is planned to be implemented in the Ain Sokhna economic zone in cooperation with the Indian company Indorama, with investments of  $500 million.

Afterwards, the Minister and his companions listened to an explanation from young engineers at the mine regarding the production stages, starting from exploration and extraction operations, through crushing, up to the final stage of raw phosphate production.

Badawi emphasized the importance of the mining sector. He stated that its development represents one of the six main pillars of the ministry’s strategy.

The minister added that the visit to the company in the New Valley underscores the ministry’s significant support for the mining sector. Badawi pointed out that the phosphoric acid production project represents a true qualitative leap in utilizing phosphate ore and achieving added value. This project also embodies the extent of cooperation and integrated work between the New Valley Governorate and Misr Phosphate Company. He noted that this project will provide numerous job opportunities for the governorate’s residents, and in this regard, he emphasized the importance of establishing a training center to develop and enhance the efficiency of employees.