Published on August 28, 2025 2:21 pm
Last Updated on August 28, 2025 2:21 pm
HANNAH SPANGLER FarmWeek
After more than a decade of delays, a fertilizer production facility near Tuscola may finally be moving forward.
Representatives from Cronus Chemicals, joined by officials such as Gov. JB Pritzker and Illinois Department of Agriculture Director Jerry Costello II, announced details of a $2 billion investment in a new ammonia fertilizer plant during a Tuesday press conference at the Farm Progress Show in Decatur.
Eventually, the facility is expected to produce 950,000 tons of anhydrous ammonia annually. The facility will also create 130 new full-time jobs and provide locally produced fertilizers to farmers in the Midwest.
“Illinois is the heart of the corn country. Nothing can be more important than addressing the needs of our growers in this part of the United States of America,” said Melih Keyman, chairman of Cronus Chemicals’ board of directors. “It should be everybody’s business to make sure that our growers have access to affordable inputs.”
In September 2024, Cronus Chemicals announced it received construction and air permits from the Environmental Protection Agency, calling it a “critical milestone for the project.” The timeline for the proposed plant has remained uncertain since its original announcement in 2014, with the start of construction repeatedly delayed.
Despite past skepticism, Pritzker said Douglas County residents “should have some real faith” that the state will follow through on its promise to begin construction soon, pointing to the economic development efforts already underway.
“We have really put more shoulder to the wheel and delivered for the state of Illinois than has happened in an awfully long time,” he said.
