Construction workers at the Mdhilla 2 chemical Fertiliser manufacturing plant, (Gafsa governorate), ended the sit-in they had observed for more than three years after a series of negotiations with local authorities.
Negotiations between local authorities and representatives of the demonstrators made it possible to reach a consensus and end the sit-in, Governor of Gafsa Nader Hamdouni told TAP.
The management of the Tunisian Chemical Group (French: GCT) will inform relevant Tunisian and foreign promoters about the plant’s latest developments and that its works could resume, the same source said.
The sit-in, which started in 2020 to demand integration into the plant when it enters the production phase, hampered completion works at the Mdhilla 2 chemical fertiliser manufacturing plant, including the implementation of experimental techniques for the sulfuric acid and phosphoric acid production units that precede the entry into the actual production phase of the plant.
Similarly, construction work on the triple superphosphate production unit, the completion rate of which exceeded 90%, has been suspended.
Domestic production of triple superphosphate is expected to increase from 460,000 tonnes to nearly 900,000 tonnes after the start of production of this industrial plant.
The Mdhilla 2 plant, whose construction started in 2010, was expected to come into service in 2014, yet, its operations had been delayed, due to social tension, security concerns and increasing protests and sit-ins in the region over the past few years.
Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse