--To be delayed by a year

Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilisers Mansukh Mandaviya in reply to a question by BJD member Sasmit Patra in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday said the Talcher Fertilisers Limited (TFL) would be commissioned by September 2024 after a delay of one year.

The then Minister of Chemical and Fertilisers DV Sadananda Gowda had informed the Rajya Sabha that the TFL would commence its operations by September 2023.

Patra questioned as to when the TFL plant would start operation and whether the farmers of Odisha, which has an agriculture-based economy, will get any additional benefit from the plant.

In his reply, Mandaviya told that more than 20% of the plant’s work has been completed till February, 2022. The progress was hampered due to the Covid pandemic and resultant shutdown. However, he expected that the plant would be commissioned by September, 2024.

Notably, in order to ensure revival of Talcher unit of Fertilizer Corporation of India Limited (FCIL) in Odisha, a joint venture company with participation of PSUs like the Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilizers Limited (RCF), Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL), Coal India Limited (CIL) and FCIL, was formed in 2015.

As per an agreement, an ammonia urea plant with a capacity of 12.7 LMT per annum based on coal gasification technology would be set up. The Lump Sum Turn Key (LSTK) global contract for the plant was awarded in September, 2019.

Mandaviya said that the plant aims at catering to fertilizer needs of the farmers across the country. The Government, which has increased the subsidy for fertilizer despite global price rise, would continue to do so in future for the benefits of the farmers.

Earlier in July, 2021, the Minister had said in the Lok Sabha that the direct employment opportunities would be about 510 and indirect employment opportunities would be 4,500 (during construction phase) for the Talcher fertiliser plant.