New Delhi: Union Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilisers, Mansukh Mandaviya, Thursday said that the coal gasification based urea plant of Talcher Fertilisers Limited (TFL) in Angul would be commissioned by 2023.
The Union Minister said that the NDA government took various initiatives to boost fertiliser sector so that an adequate amount of fertiliser could be made available to farmers during the sowing season.
He said that the Talcher project has achieved 59.48 per cent of overall progress. Similarly, the minister said that Gorakhpur, Sindri and Barauni fertiliser plants have achieved 88.10 per cent, 77.80 per cent and 77.60 per cent of overall progress respectively. It is expected that Gorakhpur, Barauni and Sindri plants will be commissioned by 2021.
He stated that with a view to becoming self-sufficient in urea production, the government has started reviving the closed fertiliser units of FCIL at Ramagundam, Talcher, Gorakhpur & Sindri and HFCL unit at Barauni. This is a joint venture of nominated public sector undertakings (PSUs) to set up gas-based fertiliser plants of 1.27 MMTPA capacity each.
It is to be mentioned here that the Union government had announced New Investment Policy (NIP), 2012 to facilitate fresh investments in the urea sector and to make India self-sufficient in the urea sector. Under NIP, the government is reviving the closed fertiliser plants of Fertiliser Corporation of India Ltd (FCIL) and Hindustan Fertiliser Corporation Ltd. (HFCL).
The minister further stated that as per Modified New Pricing Scheme (NPS-III), all of the Units which are using Naphtha as feedstock are to be converted on natural gas. Madras Fertilizers Ltd. has already moved from Naptha feedstock to natural gas as feedstock. After getting pipeline connectivity, this unit has started producing Urea w.e.f July 29, 2019 on natural gas feedstock.