Tunisia - The Tunisian Chemical Group (GCT) and a number of construction and contracting companies signed eight agreements on Monday.

The agreements were signed at the Government Palace in the Kasbah in the presence of the Minister of Industry, Mines and Energy, Fatma Thabet Chiboub, the Chinese Ambassador Wan Lin, a number of representatives of the companies involved in the project and under the supervision of Prime Minister Kamel Madouri.

They provided for speeding up the completion of the Mdhilla2 triple super phosphate plant in the Gafsa governorate and to start production as soon as possible, as part of the work of the High Committee for the Acceleration of Public Projects.

In a speech on the occasion, Minister of Industry, Mines and Energy, Fatma Thabet Chiboub, stressed the importance of the Mdhilla 2 project, which aims to further develop the mining sector, particularly the production of chemical fertilisers, and to strengthen Tunisia's position on the world market for triple phosphate and phosphoric acid.

It is expected to produce 400,000 tonnes of triple super phosphate and 180,000 tonnes of concentrated phosphoric acid per year, she said.

She added that the Mdhilla 2 project consists of four parts, most of which have reached 99 percent progress, and work has been suspended since January 20, 2020.

After several consultations and interventions with various parties, the issue was resolved and agreements relating to the project were signed with the various partners, she said.

The Minister pointed out that there are other agreements related to the mining sector that will be signed in order to restore the pace of investment, stressing that public projects in general are of paramount importance in terms of job creation, wealth creation, export promotion and economic well-being.

The companies that have signed contracts with the GCT are involved in the completion of the Mdhilla 2 plant, in particular the Chinese company CSCEC, which is responsible for the construction of the sulphuric acid production unit, the International Company for Industrial Studies and Construction (MERI), responsible for the construction of the sulphur dissolution and filtration unit, and the SOCOMINEN SIC consortium, responsible for the construction of the phosphoric acid storage and purification unit and the connection between these units and the Mdhilla 1 and Mdhilla 2 plants.

There are also, the Industrial Installation and Maintenance Complex, in charge of the construction of the spare parts depot and the spare parts and maintenance workshops, and the Tunisian Engineering and Industrial Construction Company (TECI), in charge of the follow-up of the construction of the various parts and components of the Mdhilla 2 project (two contracts).

The High Committee for the Implementation of Public Projects has contributed to the progress of negotiations with all the partners in this project in order to correct the delay that occurred years ago and to complete the remaining part of the project with the aim of increasing exports in the chemical fertiliser sector and create new jobs.

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