Rashtriya Chemicals & Fertilizers Limited (RCF), under the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, has begun the process of reviving the Talcher Fertilizer plant at Talcher in Odisha.
“RCF will invest Rs 1,000 crore for the revival of the Talcher Fertiliser Plant along with other Central agencies like Coal India, GAIL and Fertilizer Corporation of India,” Srikant Jena, said Union Minister of State for Chemical and Fertilizers.
Mr Jena said the Centre was contemplating setting up a Rs 6,000-crore fertilizer complex comprising a 2,700-MTPD ammonia plant, a 3,850-MTPD urea plant, an 850-MTPD nitric acid plant and a 1,000-MTPD ammonium nitrate plant at Talcher.
Stock taking
A four-member Central team headed by Project India Development Limited Additional General Manager A. K. Sinha visited the plant on Tuesday and took stock of the condition of machinery, technical facilities, production capacity and surroundings.
The Talcher Fertiliser Plant would be revived using the coal gasification route, sources said. The plant, which was closed for incurring continuous losses, has been selected by the Union Cabinet to be revived along with others.
MCF offer
Meanwhile, the Mahanadi Coal Fields has expressed readiness to meet all the coal requirements of the plant after its revival.
The ruling BJD has, however, raised a question on the timing of the Centre’s action of reviving the Talcher Fertiliser Plant when the model code of conduct for the ensuing September 19 urban elections was in force.
“We suspect that the UPA government took this step to influence the voters in Talcher and Angul urban local bodies,” BJD vice-president and State Health Minister Damodar Rout said.
