MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY
"Al Own acquired +62% of IDMI and developed a Phosphate Floatation Plant in Eshidiya Mine, south of Jordan."
The Ideal Development for Manufacturing Industries (IDMI) is a Jordan-based company established in 2020 and a member of the Arab Fertilizer Association . IDMI is constructing and will operate a greenfield plant to upgrade phosphate rock within existing stockpiles of mine waste produced by the Eshidiya Mine in Jordan on a Build-Own-Operate-Transfer (“BOOT”) basis. IDMI was awarded the rights in 2021 by the Jordan Phosphates Mines Company (JPMC), a global supplier of fertilizers, who is the operator of the Eshidiya Mine. IDMI will process existing stockpiles of phosphate ore resources. The project involves construction and operation of a refining processing facility and beneficiation plant with a capacity to produce annually 2.0 million metric tonnes of phosphate concentrate for 20 years. Part of the project involves the construction of a 3.6 km drainage flood protection drainage channel and providing worker accommodation for IDMI operational staff. The IDMI plant will be located adjacent to JPMC’s existing facilities.
The Eshidiya Mine is located 280 km south of Amman, and the nearest residential Al-Jafr is 43 km away. IDMI has secured an eight-year (renewable) land lease agreement from the Land Authority of the Government of Jordan covering an area of 800,000 square meters adjacent to the Eshidiya Mine.
The beneficiation plant uses a drying drum heated by petroleum coke to reduce the final product's water content, which will be constructed adjacent to the stockpiles. Approximately 35,640 tonnes annually of petroleum coke will be transported to the site by road from Aqaba port. There are no cost-effective alternatives to pet coke for generating heat and a regional gas supply network is not available. After processing, the final phosphate concentrate will be transferred to the JPMC site for onward transfer by road (125 km) to the Aqaba port using JPMC’s existing road transport network of trucks, which will increase the number of their trucks by approximately 2,200 return trips a year.
JPMC will provide various utility services to IDMI’s new plant including water, wastewater treatment, a medical clinic, and a worker canteen until the IDMI canteen becomes operational. During construction, IDMI will install a fence and a CCTV system and appoint unarmed security personnel to be present on-site. A camp will be constructed to provide accommodation for the construction workforce, and an accommodation facility is under construction for the operational workforce. A 3 km drainage channel is constructed surrounding the facility to divert rainwater away from the project site and with an approximately 30 cm width along its path.
