In Brief
- Permanent Closure: Canadian fertiliser giant Nutrien Ltd is indefinitely shutting down its Trinidad Nitrogen operations at the Point Lisas Facility.
- Core Reasons: The decision stems from ongoing natural gas constraints, economic uncertainty, and port access restrictions.
- No 2026 Impact: The company asserts that the closure will not affect its 2026 Nitrogen sales volume guidance, as it had already assumed zero production from the facility.
SASKATOON, Canada (CMC) – The Canadian fertiliser giant Nutrien Ltd announced on Monday that it will indefinitely shut down its Trinidad Nitrogen operations at the Point Lisas Facility, following an extensive review of strategic alternatives and engagement with relevant stakeholders.
“Due to ongoing natural gas constraints and uncertainty, this was determined to be the optimal path to enhance free cash flow and return on invested capital,” Nutrien Ltd said in a statement.
The company said it had previously implemented a “controlled shutdown,” of the facility on 23 October 2025 in response to port access restrictions and a lack of a reliable and economic natural gas supply, which reduced the free cash flow contribution of the Trinidad Nitrogen operations over an extended period.
“We greatly appreciate the contributions and dedication of our Trinidad team and are committed to managing the transition responsibly and safely,” said Dean Perkins, Senior Vice President of Upstream, Nitrogen and Proprietary Product Operations.
The statement said there would be no impact on Nutrien’s 2026 Nitrogen sales volume guidance, as the company had assumed no production from its Trinidad Nitrogen operations.
“Nutrien remains well-positioned to meet customer demand for nitrogen and grow volumes from its North American Nitrogen assets through reliability improvements and low-cost debottleneck projects,” said the company, which is one of the leading global providers of crop inputs and services.
Last year, Nutrien, which states that it operates a world-class network of production, distribution and retail facilities, had “shut down,” its operations, resulting in an estimated 350 contract workers being sent home, while Nutrien’s permanent employees remained on the job.
Ammonia and urea sales volumes from Nutrien’s Trinidad operations are approximately 85,000 and 55,000 tonnes per month, respectively.
