■ Iraq

The Chinese contractor East China Engineering Science and Technology Company (ECEC) reportedly started the construction of a phosphate fertilizer complex with the design capacity of 1 million tpy of DAP and 500,000 tpy of TSP in Al-Qaim, Anbar Province, in early January 2026. This followed a groundbreaking ceremony in May 2025.

The project will utilise the region’s phosphate rock reserves, estimated at over 10 billion t. The approximate commissioning date for this facility was unclear at press time.

Note: this is part of a broader government initiative to expand downstream mineral processing. Other key projects include a 249,000-tpy phosphate fertilizer plant in Baiji owned by the UAE-based company ARJ Holding and a 2.5 million-tpy sulphur plant in the Al-Zaka field in Nineveh Governorate.