AMMAN — The Indo-Jordan Chemicals Company (IJCC), a wholly owned subsidiary of the Jordan Phosphate Mines Company (JPMC), signed a $193 million strategic agreement with China’s East China Engineering Science and Technology Company to construct a sulphuric acid plant in the Shidiya area.

The new facility will have an annual production capacity of 900,000 tonnes of concentrated sulphuric acid and is scheduled to be completed within 30 months, in line with the highest international technical, engineering and environmental standards, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Under the agreement, the sulphuric acid produced will be used in phosphoric acid manufacturing as part of a new expansion phase, increasing IJCC’s phosphoric acid production capacity from 330,000 tonnes to 550,000 tonnes annually.

The agreement was signed in the presence of JPMC Chairman Mohammad Thneibat, and JPMC CEO Abdulwahab Ruwwad, while East China Engineering was represented by its CEO Meng Chenzhou.

Thneibat said the project reflects JPMC’s commitment to expanding investments and developing operations in line with Royal directives and the Economic Modernisation Vision, noting that it will enhance value-added production in Jordan’s mining sector and create direct and indirect employment opportunities during construction and operation.

Rawad stressed the project’s role in ensuring a stable supply of sulphuric acid to support phosphoric acid production, improving operational efficiency and strengthening competitiveness in regional and global markets.

For his part, Chenzhou expressed pride in the partnership, reaffirming his company’s commitment to delivering the project to the highest standards and expanding long-term industrial cooperation with Jordan.