Leigh Creek Urea Project underway

Preliminary site works for the Leigh Creek Urea Project (LCUP) has commenced, with geotechnical investigations for the construction of gasification wells and power generator areas already underway.

The LCUP is the flagship project for Leigh Creek Energy (LCK). Located 550 kilometres north of Adelaide, it will develop a high-quality, nitrogen-based fertiliser that will be made available to both local and export agriculture markets at a low cost. Using its proprietary Syngas technology, the LCUP will produce 1 million tonnes per annum (Mtpa) of urea, with the potential to increase to 2 Mtpa.

“We’re grateful to have ‘boots on the ground’ at site and to have a larger presence in the town and community again,” Phil Staveley, LCK managing director, said. “This is a crucial part of the project’s development, and we can all expect the project to develop in a visible way from here on.”

In the long term, the LCUP will increase economic development and provide employment opportunities for local communities. It is also an important part of LCK’s commitment to reducing its carbon footprint.

As part of the federal government’s Climate Active StandardIn March 2022, the company was certified carbon-neutral in March 2022. This award shows that they have achieved net zero carbon emissions across all business operations.

“The award of Climate Active certification is testament to the effectiveness of our carbonisation initiatives and our approach throughout the whole design process to keep our project focused on innovative, energy-efficient solutions,” Staveley said.

The LCUP aligns with their environmental ethos, as it will eventually produce the first carbon-neutral domestic fertiliser in Australia. The project will also help to reduce CO2 emissions through urea production, carbon capture and storage (CCS), and renewable/hybrid electricity.

“We area had of the curve today in achieving early carbon neutral status. We will remain ahead of the curve as we continue to develop the LCUP in a carbon-neutral way,” Staveley said.

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