ICL Iberia

What ICL Iberia does

ICL Iberia is the Spanish holding entity of Israel-based ICL Group, operating one of the most significant potash and salt mining operations in Western Europe from the Catalan Potash Basin. The company's roots trace to a 1912 potash discovery in Súria by René Macary and Emili Viader; after evolving through Solvay ownership, Spanish state control, and the 1998 formation of Iberpotash, it was rebranded as ICL Iberia Súria & Sallent in 2014 following ICL Group's global brand unification. Core operations center on the Cabanasses underground mine (650–900m depth), with on-site flotation, compaction, and crystallization plants producing 1 million tonnes of potash and 1.4 million tonnes of salt annually, plus 750,000 tonnes of high-purity vacuum salt capacity (99.97% NaCl) and 25,000 tonnes of white potash (99.5% KCl) for electrochemical and food-grade applications. Through subsidiaries ICL Specialty Fertilizers (Fuentes Fertilizantes and Everris Ibérica brands), the company also commands an estimated 75% of the Spanish specialty fertilizer market, serving intensive agriculture in southern and eastern Spain.

ICL Iberia's distribution infrastructure is a strategic asset: 80 km of company-owned railway with four stations links the Súria operation directly to the Barcelona Port terminal (Tramer), which was inaugurated in 2020 following a €77M+ investment and now provides 4 million tonnes of annual loading capacity for vessels up to 70,000 tonnes, enabling shipment to Mediterranean, Atlantic, and Northern European destinations. Approximately 80% of potash production is exported. The company's technology stack includes HOVERMAP dynamic scanners, FYABILITY ELIOS 3 drones for gallery inspection, remote-controlled construction robots, NANORADAR geotechnical early-warning devices, and Power Apps integration with Power BI for near-real-time safety evaluation — all supporting the Phoenix Plan's sustainable mining framework rather than AI-native capabilities.

The business model is straightforward B2B industrial commodities: quote-based sales of potash (standard and granulated) to European fertilizer markets and salt to diverse industrial end-markets (electrochemistry, pharma, paper, water potabilization, petroleum, road de-icing). Certifications are extensive and long-tenured — ISO 9001, 14001, 45001, 50001, and 22000 maintained since 2007, plus UNE 22470/22480 sustainable mining standards and Responsible Care membership. ICL Iberia is wholly owned by ICL Group (TASE: ICL), the sixth-largest potash producer globally, with no private equity or venture capital exposure. Operations are concentrated in Súria following the orderly closure of the Sallent center (begun 2017) and Vilafruns mine (ceased 2020), with the 2021 inauguration of the Cabanasses Ramp sustaining the consolidated production base.

Name

ICL Iberia

Legal name

ICL Iberia

Website

https://icliberia.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1912

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

ICL Iberia is the Spanish holding company of ICL Group, extracting 1 million tonnes of potash and 1.4 million tonnes of salt annually from the Catalan Potash Basin for European agricultural fertilizer and industrial markets via integrated mine-to-port logistics.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Potash and Salt Mining

SIC

Industrial Inorganic Chemicals (2810), Wholesale-Metals & Minerals (No Petroleum) (5050)

akta.pro primary industry

Potash Mining (IMAKAGAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Potash Fertilizers (MOP/SOP) (IMAEAEAC), Industrial Salt Mining (Rock Salt, Brine) (IMAKAGAG), NPK/Compound & Blended Fertilizers (Granular Blends, Bulk Blending) (AFABABAD), Fertilizer & Potash Terminals (TLAHABAF)

Keywords

• Potash mining
• Salt production
• Specialty fertilizers
• Industrial minerals
• Mining processing

Headquarters

HQ city

Barcelona

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Potash Sales: Production and sale of potash (potassium salts) for agricultural fertilizers. Produced at 1 million tonnes annually, with 80% exported worldwide. Sold in two granulometry qualities (standard and granulated) for complex fertilizers and direct fertilization.
2. Salt Sales: Commercialization of sodium chloride salt for industrial applications including electrochemistry, pharmaceuticals, paper industry, water potabilization, petroleum industry, and road de-icing. Current production of 1.4 million tonnes annually.
3. Vacuum Salt Sales: High-purity vacuum salt (99.97% sodium chloride) for electrochemical industry and membrane cell adaptation. Annual production capacity of 750,000 tonnes (600,000 vacuum salt and 150,000 food salt), plus 25,000 tonnes of white potash.
4. Specialty Fertilizers: Specialized, soluble and liquid fertilizers through Fuentes Fertilizantes and Everris Iberica (ICL Specialty Fertilizers). Sells primarily in south and east Spain, representing 75% of the Spanish specialty fertilizer market.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

ICL Iberia extracts, processes, and commercializes potash (potassium salts) and salt (sodium chloride) from the Catalan Potash Basin in Spain. It produces approximately 1 million tonnes of potash and 1.4 million tonnes of salt annually, plus specialty products including high-purity vacuum salt (99.97% NaCl) and white potash (99.5% KCl). The company also distributes specialized, soluble and liquid fertilizers in Spain through its ICL Specialty Fertilizers subsidiaries, and operates port terminal logistics via TRAMER at Barcelona Port.

Product overview

ICL Iberia operates as the Spanish holding company of ICL Group, specializing in potash and salt extraction, processing, and commercialization from the Catalan Potash Basin. The product portfolio centers on three main categories: (1) Potash (1 million tonnes/year, 80% exported) in standard and granulated forms for fertilizers; (2) Salt (1.4 million tonnes/year) for industrial and road de-icing applications; and (3) Specialty products including Sal Vacuum (high-purity salt at 99.97% purity, 750,000 tonnes/year capacity) and Potasa Blanca (white potash at 99.5% KCl purity, 25,000 tonnes/year). Through subsidiaries ICL Specialty Fertilizers (Fuentes and Everris brands), the company also serves the specialized fertilizer market in Spain. Logistics operations are handled through TRAMER, managing port terminal operations at Barcelona.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ICL Specialty Fertilizers: Specialized fertilizers division formerly including Fuentes Fertilizantes and Everris Ibéria Fertilizers brands.
• Tramer

Products and services

• Potasa (Potash) Potassium salts extracted from the Catalan Potash Basin and processed via flotation. Annual production of 1 million tonnes, with 80% exported worldwide. Sold in standard and granulated forms for complex fertilizers and direct fertilization applications for agricultural and industrial buyers.
• Sal (Salt) Sodium chloride obtained alongside potash production. Annual production of 1.4 million tonnes for industrial applications including electrochemistry, pharmaceuticals, paper industry, water potabilization, petroleum industry, and road de-icing. Rock salt is extracted directly from mine galleries for road safety applications.
• Sal Vacuum (Vacuum Salt) High-purity vacuum salt with 99.97% sodium chloride content for the electrochemical industry, required for membrane cell electrolysis systems. Annual production capacity of 750,000 tonnes (600,000 tonnes vacuum salt and 150,000 tonnes food salt). Also used in water treatment, pharmaceutical, paper, and food industries.
• Potasa Blanca (White Potash) High-purity potassium chloride (99.5% KCl) without iron oxide presence, obtained through sudden cooling of brine in the crystallization plant. Annual production of 25,000 tonnes. Applications include fertilizer industry, chemical industry, and food industry.
• ICL Specialty Fertilizers (Fuentes Fertilizantes) Spain's largest producer of specialized, soluble and liquid fertilizers, selling primarily in southern and eastern Spain, holding approximately 75% of the Spanish specialized fertilizer market. Based in Totana, Murcia.
• ICL Specialty Fertilizers (Everris Iberica) Advanced specialized fertilizers and crop nutrition programs designed to help farmers and end-users produce higher quality crops while maximizing profitability and respecting the environment.
• TRAMER (Tráfico de Mercancías) Spanish company dedicated to freight traffic headquartered at Barcelona Port. Main activities include reception, loading, and storage of minerals and derivatives, especially potash, for shipping and consignment. A new terminal was inaugurated in 2020 with an investment of over 77 million euros.

Quantifiable outcome

• 80% of potash production exported worldwide
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Universities and Technology CenterscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerICL is a multinational company with strategic alliances with various universities, technology centers, and business schools. Work fields are related to circular economy, subproduct reuse, energy accumulation, materials technology, and water. ICL invests over 56 million euros annually in innovation and development worldwide.
• UNESCO Central Catalonia GeoparkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerICL Iberia has maintained its involvement in the consolidation and strengthening of the Central Catalonia Geopark after UNESCO renewal as part of the World Geoparks network. The Geopark received UNESCO certification in 2015 and ICL maintains involvement as part of the Geopark with salt and potash mining.
• Business Associations and Sectorial OrganizationsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerICL Iberia collaborates with business associations, sectorial associations, and European technology platforms. Also participates in business forums and is an industrial dynamizer of the region.
• Catalan Government Education DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDual Vocational Training established through collaboration agreement with the Education Department of the Generalitat, municipalities of Súria, Sallent and Manresa, and secondary schools. Offers two intermediate degrees on Mining Excavations and Sondajes.
• Fundación AMPANSminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides employment to the foundation - the ICL Iberia Magazine is enveloped, labeled and sent by users of the foundation. Since 1998, Fundación Ampans has handled gardening of the company's industrial facilities.
• Sant Vicenç de Castellet Railway StationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of four own railway stations functions as an interchange center. ICL has 80km of own railway lines connecting to Barcelona Port.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Compass Minerals International: U.S. listed producer of salt (de-icing and industrial) and sulfate of potash (SOP) plant nutrients. Highly analogous multi-product, mineral-mining business model with overlapping end markets.
• K+S AG: German potash and salt miner producing MOP, SOP and industrial salt from underground mines. Closest direct global analogue given the potash-plus-salt portfolio and European customer base that overlaps with ICL Iberia.
• The Mosaic Company: U.S. listed producer of potash and phosphate fertilizers. Direct competitor in the global potash trade and benchmark setter on MOP pricing relevant to ICL Iberia's export-linked revenue.
• Uralkali: Russian MOP producer and a dominant low-cost global potash supplier. Directly competes for Mediterranean and Atlantic MOP volume against ICL Iberia's 80% export book.
• Belaruskali: State-owned Belarusian potash miner and one of the largest MOP producers globally. Directly competes in European and developing-market fertilizer trade flows served by ICL Iberia.
• SQM (Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile): Chilean specialty plant nutrition and industrial chemicals producer (potassium nitrate, SOP, lithium, iodine). Comparable through the specialty-fertilizer lens that overlaps with ICL's Fuentes/Everris franchise.

Broad incumbents

• Nutrien Ltd: World's largest potash producer via the legacy PotashCorp and Agrium combination, with a global retail and specialty fertilizer platform. Comparable at the commodity level (MOP) but vastly broader and integrated into crop retail.
• ICL Group: Israeli parent and 6th-largest global potash producer, with a broad specialty fertilizers, phosphate and industrial products portfolio. Same underlying mining/processing economics, but operating across Dead Sea, Negev and Iberia assets.
• Yara International: Norwegian-headquartered global nitrogen and specialty fertilizer producer with broad European market presence. Relevant for ICL Iberia's specialty fertilizer end-markets, though different primary nutrient (nitrogen vs. potash).

Emerging players

• Haifa Group: Israel-based specialty fertilizer producer focused on soluble, foliar and controlled-release plant nutrition. Closely comparable to ICL Iberia's specialty fertilizer subsidiaries in target crops and product technology.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/icliberia
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCFIBXzG6BV-w5AoNORjYldA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/icl-iberia
• Instagraminstagram.com/icliberia

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ICL Iberia