China’s Sinoma Construction has signed an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract with Morocco’s state-owned OCP Group for an advanced phosphate processing unit.

The agreement covers the entire project cycle, including design, procurement, construction and commissioning of the chemical facilities.

This is the first time that OCP and Sinoma Construction have signed a contract of this kind.

The scope of the project includes:

• Construction of a phosphate processing plant
• Construction of production units
• Construction of storage units
• Installation of loading and unloading systems
• Construction of boiler rooms
• Construction of warehouses
• Construction of other associated facilities

OCP uses a 187-kilometre pipeline that extends from the Khouribga mining basin to its industrial facilities in Jorf Lasfar.

The pipeline transports high-concentration phosphate slurry to OCP’s processing facilities.

Morocco holds the world’s largest phosphate rock reserves, which are used for producing fertilisers and battery materials.

Major phosphate rock deposits are concentrated in the central region around Khouribga, as well as about 120km south of Casablanca in the Chaouia area.

There are also reserves in the southern Oued Eddahab-Lagouira region near Boucraa and the central-western region around Youssoufia, roughly 80km southeast of El-Jadida in the Doukkala-Abda area.