Jordan Phosphate Mines (JPMC) is a

mining Mining is the Resource extraction, extraction of valuable geological materials and minerals from the surface of the Earth. Mining is required to obtain most materials that cannot be grown through agriculture, agricultural processes, or feasib ...

company based in

Amman Amman ( , ; , ) is the capital and the largest city of Jordan, and the country's economic, political, and cultural center. With a population of four million as of 2021, Amman is Jordan's primate city and is the largest city in the Levant ...

Jordan Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...

. The company operates 3 mining facilities in Jordan and a

chemical manufacturing The chemical industry comprises the companies and other organizations that develop and produce industrial, specialty and other chemicals. Central to the modern world economy, the chemical industry converts raw materials ( oil, natural gas, air, w ...

complex in

Aqaba Aqaba ( , ; , ) is the only coastal city in Jordan and the largest and most populous city on the Gulf of Aqaba. Situated in southernmost Jordan, Aqaba is the administrative center of the Aqaba Governorate. The city had a population of 148, ...

. The company is listed on the Amman Stock Exchange's ASE Weighted Index as "JOPH".

Background

Jordan Phosphate Mines was founded in 1949. In 1986, JPMC bought the Jordan Fertilizer Company. JPMC already controlled 25% of the fertilizing company before its full acquisition. Jordan Fertilizer was operating a

chemical A chemical substance is a unique form of matter with constant chemical composition and characteristic properties. Chemical substances may take the form of a single element or chemical compounds. If two or more chemical substances can be combin ...

and

fertilizer A fertilizer or fertiliser is any material of natural or synthetic origin that is applied to soil or to plant tissues to supply plant nutrients. Fertilizers may be distinct from liming materials or other non-nutrient soil amendments. Man ...

manufacturing complex in

, which became the property of JPMC. In 2007, JPMC signed a memorandum of understanding with the

Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited, also known as IFFCO, is a multi-state cooperative society engaged in the manufacture and marketing of fertiliser. IFFCO is headquartered in New Delhi, India. Started in 1967 with 57 member cooper ...

(IFFCO), India's largest fertilizer manufacturer. In 2013, the partnership was renewed for one year, committing JPMC to deliver 2 million tonnes of phosphate in a year. In the first semester of 2014, JPMC recorded a net loss of $9.4 million, mainly due to lower commodity prices and higher fuel costs. In April 2016, JPMC raised JD82.5 million. In February 2017, JPMC signed a memorandum of understanding with the government of

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

to provide the country with 270,000 metric tonnes of phosphate and phosphoric acid within 3 years for $280 million. In May 2018, IFFCO and Indian Potash Limited (IPL) bought a 37% share in JPMC from the Brunei Investment Agency for $130 million. 60% of JPMC's production was already exported to india by the time of this purchase.

Operations

Mining

According to the company's website, more than 60% of the area of Jordan has

phosphate Phosphates are the naturally occurring form of the element phosphorus. In chemistry, a phosphate is an anion, salt, functional group or ester derived from a phosphoric acid. It most commonly means orthophosphate, a derivative of orthop ...

deposits at minable depth. JPMC is the only phosphate-mining company in Jordan. JPMC's three mining facilities are located in: *

Russeifa Russeifa (, also spelled Ruseifa(h), Rusaifa(h), Russiefa, etc., also with preceding article el-, al-, er- or ar-) is a city in Zarqa Governorate in Jordan. It had a population of 472,604 inhabitants in 2015, making it the fourth-largest city in ...

, north of Amman, started in 1935 ; * Al Hassa and Al-Abiad, south of Amman, started in 1962 and 1979 ; * Eshidiya, northeast of Aqaba, started in 1989.

Manufacturing

JPMC's al-Aqaba complex produces fertilizer and chemicals, including: *

Phosphoric acid Phosphoric acid (orthophosphoric acid, monophosphoric acid or phosphoric(V) acid) is a colorless, odorless phosphorus-containing solid, and inorganic compound with the chemical formula . It is commonly encountered as an 85% aqueous solution, ...

- used to make

fertilizers A fertilizer or fertiliser is any material of natural or synthetic origin that is applied to soil or to plant tissues to supply plant nutrition, plant nutrients. Fertilizers may be distinct from Liming (soil), liming materials or other non- ...

, detergents,

pharmaceuticals Medication (also called medicament, medicine, pharmaceutical drug, medicinal product, medicinal drug or simply drug) is a drug used to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent disease. Drug therapy ( pharmacotherapy) is an important part of the ...

steel Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon that demonstrates improved mechanical properties compared to the pure form of iron. Due to steel's high Young's modulus, elastic modulus, Yield (engineering), yield strength, Fracture, fracture strength a ...

and

cola Cola is a Carbonation, carbonated soft drink flavored with vanilla, cinnamon, citrus essential oil, oils, and other flavorings. Cola became popular worldwide after the American pharmacist John Stith Pemberton invented Coca-Cola, a trademarked br ...

; *

Diammonium phosphate Diammonium phosphate (DAP; IUPAC name diammonium hydrogen phosphate; chemical formula (NH4)2(HPO4)) is one of a series of water- soluble ammonium phosphate salts that can be produced when ammonia reacts with phosphoric acid. Solid diammonium ph ...

- DAP fertilizer ; *

Sulphuric acid Sulfuric acid (American spelling and the preferred IUPAC name) or sulphuric acid ( Commonwealth spelling), known in antiquity as oil of vitriol, is a mineral acid composed of the elements sulfur, oxygen, and hydrogen, with the molecular formu ...

- many uses ; *

Aluminium fluoride Aluminium fluoride is an inorganic compound with the formula . It forms hydrates . Anhydrous and its hydrates are all colorless solids. Anhydrous is used in the production of aluminium. Several occur as minerals. Occurrence and production Aside ...

- used as a

catalyst Catalysis () is the increase in rate of a chemical reaction due to an added substance known as a catalyst (). Catalysts are not consumed by the reaction and remain unchanged after it. If the reaction is rapid and the catalyst recycles quick ...

in the manufacture of

aluminium Aluminium (or aluminum in North American English) is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol Al and atomic number 13. It has a density lower than that of other common metals, about one-third that of steel. Aluminium has ...

and

magnesium Magnesium is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Mg and atomic number 12. It is a shiny gray metal having a low density, low melting point and high chemical reactivity. Like the other alkaline earth metals (group 2 ...

; used as a

ceramic glaze Ceramic glaze, or simply glaze, is a glassy coating on ceramics. It is used for decoration, to ensure the item is impermeable to liquids and to minimize the adherence of pollutants. Glazing renders earthenware impermeable to water, sealing th ...

Partnerships and joint-ventures

JPMC runs the Indo-Jordan Chemicals, co-owned with Southern Petrochemical Industries of India and The Arab Investment Company of

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...

. JPMC runs the Nippon Jordan Fertilizer Company, a joint venture with the Arab Potash Company and a consortium of Japanese companies (

ZEN-NOH The , in short , is a federation of agricultural cooperatives in Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japa ...

Mitsubishi Corporation is a Japanese general trading company ( ''sogo shosha'') and a core member of the Mitsubishi Group. For much of the post-war period, Mitsubishi Corporation has been the largest of the five great ''sogo shosha'' (Mitsubishi, Mitsui, Itochu, S ...

, Mitsubishi Chemical,

Asahi Kasei is a multinational Japanese chemical company. Its main products are chemicals and materials. It was founded in May 1931, using the paid-in capital of Nobeoka Ammonia Fiber Co., Ltd, a Nobeoka, Miyazaki-based producer of ammonia, nitric acid ...

). JPMC runs the PT Petro Jordan Abadi, a joint venture with the

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

n company

Petrokimia Gresik Petrokimia Gresik is a fertilizer company located in Gresik Regency, Gresik, East Java, Indonesia, which was initially established under the name 'Project of Petrokimia Surabaya'. The construction agreement was mutually signed on August 10, 1964 ...

Incidents

In June 2013, the uncle of the King of Jordan, Walid Kurdi, was found guilty of illegally profiting by using his position of CEO of JPMC. The justice fined him JD284 million. In August 2017, JPMC filed for an arrest warrant with

Interpol The International Criminal Police Organization – INTERPOL (abbreviated as ICPO–INTERPOL), commonly known as Interpol ( , ; stylized in allcaps), is an international organization that facilitates worldwide police cooperation and crime cont ...

to extradite Walid Kurdi who fled the country and was living as a fugitive.Memo filed with Interpol to help extradite Kurdi
''The Jordan Times'', 30 August 2017 (accessed on 10 June 2019)

References

External links

Official website
{{Authority control Mining companies of Jordan Chemical companies Phosphate mining Companies based in Amman Companies listed on the Amman Stock Exchange Companies in the ASE Market Capitalization Weighted Index