Maire Tecnimont Group’s subsidiaries NextChem and MET Development have reached an agreement with FerSam Uruguay S.A. (FerSam), part of FerSam Group, to develop projects for the production of green ammonia and bio-ethanol in Latin America.

Under the agreement, Maire Tecnimont Group’s subsidiaries and FerSam will undertake feasibility studies for two projects. The first is to evaluate and assess the possibility of jointly producing green ammonia. The companies have also agreed to develop a second-generation bio-ethanol project based on the GranBio technology in NextChem’s portfolio.

NextChem acquired exclusive worldwide rights to GranBio’s new 2G Ethanol technology in 2020, enabling NextChem to design and execute plants that produce second generation ethanol from non-food biomass, such as agricultural residues and leftovers from forestry. 

Maire Tecnimont Group will contribute technological solutions and know-how in terms of project development, design & engineering and execution to the partnership, combined with its portfolio of technologies as well as its strong capabilities as an end-to-end developer of large-scale complex projects. FerSam will secure the biomass feedstock and energy sources for the projects, as well as provide local regulatory expertise.

Pierroberto Folgiero, Maire Tecnimont Group and NextChem Chief Executive Officer commented, “This agreement with FerSam is another step forward in NextChem’s green chemistry roadmap and confirms Maire Tecnimont’s capability of being an enabler of the energy transition globally. Our presence in Latin America has grown in recent years thanks to our green acceleration and these new projects will enable us to strengthen our market positioning.”

Guglielmo Sama Ferruzzi, FerSam Group Executive Director commented, “We are convinced that the combination of Maire Tecnimont’s transversal, yet profound, technical know-how and organisational capabilities with FerSam’s local experience and functional competencies, represents a reinforcing unison that equips the partnership with the required resources to capture the full value of both projects’ potentials.”