Nutrien halts nitrogen production in Trinidad as exports fall 30%
Key Facts
Nutrien announced on 5 October 2026 that it would indefinitely shut down nitrogen operations at its Point Lisas facility in Trinidad and Tobago because of natural gas constraints and uncertainty. The decision extends a suspension the company began with a controlled shutdown of the facility in October last year. Nutrien said the decision would not affect its 2026 nitrogen sales volume guidance because its estimates had assumed no production from its Trinidad operations. It added that it believed it could meet customer demand from its North American assets. The decision places Nutrien’s facility in the context of a decline in Trinidad’s nitrogen fertilizer exports in the first half of 2026.
Nutrien had carried out a controlled shutdown of the facility on 23 October 2025 after facing restrictions on port access and a shortage of reliable, economical natural gas supplies. The company’s statement indicates that operating problems at the facility did not begin with the announcement of an indefinite shutdown in October 2026, but were preceded by logistical and fuel constraints. When the controlled shutdown began, the company said its Trinidad operations were selling about 85 thousand tons of ammonia and 55 thousand tons of urea per month. These volumes show the facility’s place in the nitrogen products trade, while the company’s shutdown announcement and sales guidance define its stated operating and commercial position.
In foreign trade, Trinidad and Tobago exported 636,862,000 kilograms of anhydrous ammonia to the United States in 2025, with a reported value of 295,986.48 thousand dollars. The figure shows the scale of ammonia flows between the two countries last year, but does not identify how much came from Nutrien’s facility alone. In the first half of 2026, Trinidad and Tobago’s nitrogen fertilizer exports, measured in nitrogen equivalent, fell 30% from the same period in 2025. The International Food Policy Research Institute attributed the decline to Nutrien’s facility shutdown. The drop places the facility’s suspension within a broader picture of changing nitrogen fertilizer exports from the country.
In the United States, the Agriculture Department’s index of fertilizer prices paid by farmers stood at 133.7 in September 2026, down 0.3% from August but 10% above its September 2025 level. The index tracks fertilizer prices borne by agricultural producers and provides an annual comparison of input costs in the U.S. market. Its reading comes as Nutrien announced the continued absence of production from its Trinidad operations, while the company said its North American assets could meet customer demand. The index figure alone does not establish that the shutdown of any particular facility caused prices to rise, but it records the level of fertilizer costs for farmers in September.
Trinidad and Tobago’s ammonia industry comprises 11 plants with estimated total annual capacity of about 5.2 million metric tons, according to the country’s Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries. This scale provides context for the sector’s industrial role in Trinidad, while Nutrien’s decision concerns the company’s operations at the Point Lisas facility. The company affirmed that its 2026 nitrogen sales guidance had not changed and said: "No impact to 2026 nitrogen sales volume guidance, as the company had assumed no production from its Trinidad nitrogen operations." It linked its assessment of its ability to meet customer demand to its North American assets, according to its statement.