EIB Global, the development finance arm of the European Investment Bank (EIB), has committed up to USD 95 million to finance ATOME’s Villeta Green H₂ Fertiliser Plant in Paraguay, as announced in an official statement. The plant will produce around 260,000 tonnes of calcium ammonium nitrate annually using green hydrogen powered entirely by Paraguay’s renewable electricity grid — making it one of the first industrial-scale green hydrogen fertiliser facilities outside the EU, and the largest in the world upon start of operations. The project is a flagship initiative under the EU’s Global Gateway strategy and a concrete step forward in the EU–Mercosur partnership.
Latin America is the world’s largest fertiliser import market, and the region’s farmers are acutely exposed to the price shocks and supply disruptions that come with dependence on fossil-based fertiliser production. The Villeta plant, positioned near the Paraná–Paraguay waterway and close to major agricultural hubs in Brazil and Argentina, is designed to change that equation.
EIB Vice-President Ioannis Tsakiris described the investment as a demonstration of the EIB’s “commitment to accelerating the global clean transition,” while ATOME CEO Olivier Mussat argued that the project proves “green fertiliser is not just environmentally essential, but a compelling and sustainable business opportunity.” EU Ambassador to Paraguay Katja Afheldt framed it as evidence of Europe’s commitment to Paraguay’s long-term economic diversification and its emergence as a regional green hydrogen leader.
The financing is structured as a project-finance, non-recourse arrangement alongside IFC, IDB Invest, FMO, and the Green Climate Fund. The plant will operate under a long-term power purchase agreement with Paraguay’s state utility ANDE, securing a stable renewable electricity supply. More than 5,000 direct and indirect jobs are expected across construction and operational phases.
By replacing fossil-based hydrogen with green hydrogen at industrial scale, Villeta directly addresses one of agriculture’s hardest-to-decarbonize supply chain links — while simultaneously strengthening regional food security and reducing exposure to geopolitical disruptions in global fertiliser markets.