he OCP group announced on October 14 its intention to buy the stakes held by Germany’s Chemische Fabrik Budenheim and Belgium’s Prayon in Euro Maroc Phosphore, known as Emaphos, which produces purified phosphoric acid at Jorf Lasfar.
Carried out by OCP Specialty Products & Solutions, the group’s wholly owned subsidiary, the deal will make Emaphos a fully owned OCP subsidiary. Closing is expected in early 2027, subject to regulatory approval, and no price has been disclosed.
A first leg has already been filed in Vienna: Austria’s Federal Competition Authority registered on October 12 the purchase of the third held by Budenheim, which would lift the group’s share to two thirds.
Founded in 1996, Emaphos turns merchant-grade phosphoric acid into an acid pure enough for specialty fertilizers, food processing and pharmaceuticals. Its capacity, 140,000 metric tons a year at the outset, was raised to about 300,000 tons in 2023.
Part of the phosphate group’s growth will be decided in these specialty phosphates, worth more than fertilizer, and Jorf Lasfar will be their laboratory.
Photo: JOSIANE P., CC BY-SA 3.0.
Bundeswettbewerbsbehörde - BWB/Z-7515, OCP SPS SA; Euro Maroc Phosphore
OCP, via La Vie éco - Acide phosphorique purifié: OCP vise le contrôle total d’Emaphos
Barlamane - OCP prépare le rachat des 66,7 % d’Emaphos détenus par Prayon et Chemische Fabrik Budenheim
