PJSC Azot (Cherkasy), part of the OSTCHEM nitrogen holding, has resumed production of mineral fertilizers after a forced shutdown three weeks ago due to a drop in gas pressure caused by a drone attack on Cherkasy’s external gas infrastructure, the company said in a press release on Wednesday.
“We managed to restart the plants and bring key workshops back to planned capacity after the gas infrastructure was restored. The plant is fully supplied with the gas needed for fertilizer production and continues to deliver fertilizers,” the release quotes board chairman Vitaly Sklyarov as saying.
As noted in the release, the A-3 ammonia workshop (with a capacity of 900 tons per day) and the M-2 urea workshop (1,100 tons per day) have resumed operations. Within a few days, the M-5 workshop (non-concentrated nitric acid) and the M-9 workshop (ammonium nitrate) for the production of UAN are also scheduled to be launched.
According to Sklyarov, despite the forced shutdown, the plant will fulfill its obligations in full, and the annual production plan will be met.
As reported, the plants of the OSTCHEM nitrogen holding company increased mineral fertilizer production in the first quarter of 2025 by 5.3% compared to the same period last year, to 529,300 tons: Cherkasy Azot – 394,800 tons, Rivneazot – 134,400 tons.
The release notes that OSTCHEM enterprises faced forced production stoppages due to drones entering their territory and the destruction of external gas and energy infrastructure in the Cherkasy and Rivne regions. Force majeure led to forced disruptions in fertilizer supplies.
In response, the nitrogen holding company has revised its strategy: the new priority is to reduce production risks through investments in the energy independence of enterprises.
Group DF is a diversified international group of companies consolidating assets in the gas distribution, chemical, titanium, and port industries, as well as in agriculture and media. The founder and owner of Group DF is Dmitry Firtash.
OSTCHEM is Group DF’s nitrogen holding company, which has brought together the largest producers of mineral fertilizers in Ukraine. It includes Rivneazot, Cherkasy Azot, and Severodonetsk Azot, as well as Stirol (the latter two are not operational and are located in occupied territories).
