Aqaba, Feb. 11 (Petra) -- The Indian-Jordanian Chemicals Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Jordan Phosphate Mines Company (JPMC), on Wednesday signed a $193 million strategic agreement with East China Engineering Science and Technology Company to establish a concentrated sulfuric acid plant in the Shidiya area in the Ma'an Governorate.

The new facility will have a production capacity of about 900,000 tons annually and is scheduled for completion within 30 months. The project will be implemented in accordance with international technical, engineering, and environmental standards.

Under the agreement, the sulfuric acid output will be utilized in the production of phosphoric acid as part of the company’s expansion project, which will increase phosphoric acid production capacity from 330,000 tons to 550,000 tons per year.

The agreement was signed in the presence of the JPMC Chairperson, Mohammad Thneibat, the JPMC Chief Executive Officer, Abdul Wahab Rawad, and East China Engineering Science and Technology Deputy General Manager, Meng Chenzhou.

Thneibat said the JPMC continues to advance its investment and operational expansion plans in line with Royal directives on modernization and the Economic Modernization Vision. He noted that the company’s strategy focuses on attracting investment, building international partnerships, and enhancing the added value of Jordanian industries, particularly in the mining sector.

He said the project represents a strategic step with tangible economic and industrial impact by increasing phosphoric acid production capacity, enhancing value-added output, and generating direct and indirect employment opportunities during construction and operation.

Thneibat added that the project falls within the company’s broader strategy to expand downstream industries, develop integrated industrial complexes, and upgrade infrastructure, thereby improving production efficiency, reducing costs, strengthening regional and international competitiveness, and supporting the national economy.

Rawad said the project will constitute a major technical addition to operations at the Shidiya mines by ensuring a stable and specification-compliant supply of sulfuric acid to support phosphoric acid plants.

They added that the plant will enhance industrial process efficiency and improve readiness to meet growing regional and global demand, while adhering to advanced environmental and technical standards and a defined implementation timeline to ensure operational sustainability.

Meng expressed pride in partnering with the JPMC on the project, affirming his company’s commitment to delivering the plant at full design capacity and in line with the highest standards of quality and professionalism.

He said the project reflects the depth of Jordanian-Chinese industrial cooperation and expressed hope for continued long-term collaboration on future high value-added projects at the regional and international levels.

//Petra// AJ

11/02/2026 13:52:48