Union Ministers Mansukh Mandaviya & Dharmendra Pradhan Reviews Coal Gasification Plants in Odisha

Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, the Union Minister for Health, Family Welfare, and Chemicals and Fertilizers, inspected the development of the FCIL Talcher unit with Dharmendra Pradhan, the Union Minister for Education, Skill Development, and Entrepreneurship in Odisha’s Angul on Saturday.

The restoration of the FCIL Talcher unit is being carried out by Talcher Fertilizers Ltd. (TFL), a firm promoted by GAIL (India), Rashtriya Chemicals & Fertilizers Ltd. (RCF), Coal India Ltd. (CIL), and Fertilizers Corporation of India Ltd. (FCIL).

Speaking on the occasion Dr. Mandaviya said, "Government is taking significant steps in making country Aatmanirbhar, and the fertilizer sector is one of them. By utilizing new technological interventions like coal gasification in our fertilizer plants and using our own sampada (resources) like coal, India is moving towards self-sufficiency in the Urea sector. With this vision, Government of India has been reviewing the progress of Talcher unit which will be India’s largest and first coal gasification urea plant."

"India’s agriculture sector requires fertilizers for the sector to flourish and country is currently dependent on imports and domestic production of fertilizers. Under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Modi, India is set out the target to become Aatmanirbhar in this field as well. India’s domestic production of urea will see a major boost with five new fertilizer plants coming up in the country. Four of these plants are already functional while Talcher is a coal gasification plant which will become functional by October 2024", he added.

Dr. Mandaviya and Pradhan were given an overview of the project in the model room while examining the work progress, and after that, they visited the plant site where the construction and erection activities of the project were closely examined. Ministers also reviewed the project's progress and met with promoters of TFL, PDIL, and other important staff members to discuss the project's status.

The government has given TFL the task of reviving the former Talcher plant of FCIL by constructing a new coal gasification-based urea factory with an installed capacity of 12.7 lakh metric tonnes per year.

The project will help achieve the stated goal of gasifying 100 MT of coal by 2030 since it encourages coal gasification. The project will also boost the economies of eastern India in general and Odisha in particular.