Revival project to cost Rs 9,000 cr
Shut down since 2002, the Talcher Fertiliser Unit will be revived with production from 2018, said Union Chemicals and Fertilisers Minister Anantha Kumar and Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan after a joint review of the project here on Friday.
The Ministers said the Coal India ltd, gas utility GAIl India and fertilisers majors RCF and FCIl would form two joint ventures (JVs) for revival of the Talcher urea plant at a cost of Rs 9,000 crore.
The first JV would be meant for setting up of an upstream coal gasification unit and the second one would involve setting up of a urea-cum-ammonia nitrate complex. “The plant will have a capacity of 1.3 million tonnes per annum of urea and 3.3 lakh liters of ammonia nitrate. This will be the first plant in the country using coal gasification technology,” Anantha Kumar said.
Meanwhile, the old equipment, plant and machinery cannot be used in the new unit as they are worth only scrap, which are being sold to make way for setting up of a new plant.
Dharmendra Pradhan said since three Ministries like Coal, Fertilisers and Petroleum are involved in the project; it has been reviewed every month to monitor the progress.
He said by November this year new companies would be formed and immediately after that a detailed project report (DPR) would be ready and financial closure would be done to go ahead with the project. Union Fertilisers Secretary Jugal Kishore Mohapatra was also present during the review.