CF Industries Holdings Inc. announced that the new ammonia and urea plants at its Port Neal, Iowa, Nitrogen Complex have been successfully commissioned and started up, marking the completion of the company's capacity expansion projects.

The ammonia plant, which began production in late November, has operated at approximately its nameplate capacity of 2,425 tons per day. The back end of the plant (ammonia synthesis) was recently taken off line to replace a gasket and is expected to resume production shortly, the announcement explained. The front end of the ammonia plant continues to operate and produce carbon dioxide that is used to feed the new urea plant.

The urea plant, which was commissioned earlier in December, has produced on-specification granular urea but also was taken off line recently to replace a relief valve and is expected to resume production shortly as well.

“CF's capacity expansion projects are completed,” CF Industries Holdings president and chief executive officer Tony Will said. “With projected returns significantly above our cost of capital, we have built the foundation for CF's growth and greatly increased our cash generation capability.”

The total annual gross ammonia capacity at Port Neal is now 1.2 million tons, up from 380,000 tons previously. Output from the new ammonia capacity will largely be upgraded to urea. Total annual urea capacity at Port Neal is now 1.4 million tons, up from 50,000 tons previously. Total annual urea-ammonium nitrate capacity remains largely unchanged at 800,000 tons.

CF Industries Holdings, headquartered in Deerfield, Ill., manufactures and distributes nitrogen products through its subsidiaries to serve both agricultural and industrial customers. CF Industries operates nitrogen manufacturing complexes in Canada, the U.K. and the U.S. and distributes plant nutrients through a system of terminals, warehouses and associated transportation equipment located primarily in the Midwestern U.S.