📋 Tender Overview
Project Number
47553
Company Name
ATOME Paraguay, S.A.E.
Date ESRS Disclosed
Jun 9, 2025
Country
Paraguay
Region
Latin America and the Caribbean
Last Updated Date
Environmental Category
A
Status
Pending Approval
Sector
Nitrogenous Fertilizer
Industry
Manufacturing
Department
Regional Industry MAS LAC & EUR
Project Description
The proposed IFC investment is an up to US$130 million financing including: (i) an IFC A Loan of up to US$[30]mn, and (ii) a subordinated loan of up to US$[75-105]mn to ATOME Paraguay SAE (the Company or the Borrower ), a wholly owned subsidiary of ATOME Energy PLC ( ATOME or the Sponsor )- (https://www.atomeplc.com/), a UK-listed company focused on the development of greenfield green hydrogen projects for the purpose of producing, marketing and distributing green fertilizers. The proposed project entails the financing of Paraguay’s first green hydrogen fertilizer project, the Villeta 145MW production facility, designed to produce up to 260,000 tons per annum (tpa) of green calcium ammonium nitrate ( CAN ), a low-carbon fertilizer ( the Project ).
The Project is located 30km to the south of Villeta municipality, within an industrial area in development, near the eastern bank of the Paraguay River and approximately 3km east of the border with Argentina. The Project encompasses construction and operation of a green hydrogen fertilizer plant that will include the following: (i) an electrolysis plant with an installed capacity of 110MW and a pressurized alkaline water electrolysis system with a nominal capacity of 1,978kg/h, and onsite storage capacity of 10 m3 at 15 bar of operational pressure ; (ii) an air separation unit with a cryogenic distillation unit; (iii) an ammonia synthesis plant with a Haber-Bosch fixation process with a double metallic wall storage tank with a 1432,4 m3 of volume at refrigerated liquid-phase storage under normal pressure; (iv) a Nitric Acid plant designed per EU BAT; (v) an Ammonium Nitrate Solution plant; and (vi) a Granulation Plant. The Project will also require ancillary infrastructure including a 0.5km-long 220kV interconnection line (IL) and a 2.5km-long water line with associated water intake structure and wastewater discharge system. The project is currently in the planning phase and is expected to have a construction schedule of 38 months.
Overview of IFC's Scope of Review
IFC’s E&S review of the proposed investment included: (i) a site visit in April 2025 to the project site (administrative offices, project site, water intake point, IL and pipeline easements); (ii) interviews with ATOME’s management, environmental, health and safety (EHS), and social personnel, neighboring communities, and local authorities; (iii) review of documentation, including the project E&S Impact Assessment (ESIA), E&S and OHS Management System (ESMS), sustainability, OHS and HR corporate policies, Quantitative Risk Assess
