India’s Southern Petrochemical Industries Corp. (SPIC) has committed to investing Rs1,900 (approximately $228.6 million at current exchange rates) over the next two years under its strategic group expansion plans, India’s Economic Times reported, citing the company. SPIC made the pledge at a two-day investors meeting, which concluded on Jan. 8.
Under the investment plan, the company has earmarked Rs970 crore to revamp the existing urea plant at Thoothukudi, formerly known as Tuticorin, in India’s southern state of Tamil Nadu, augment capacity, and establish a 150 mt/d green ammonia plant. The urea plant has an existing production capacity of 620,000 mt/y.
Greenstar Fertilizers Ltd., an SPIC Group company, has allocated Rs640 crore for establishing a water soluble fertilizer blending plant in Chennai and building a 2,500 mt/y sulfuric acid plant, as well as for the refurbishment of its DAP I and DAP II plants in Thoothukudi.
These latest investment plans follow the inauguration of Greenstar’s first water soluble fertilizer blending plant at Thoothukudi in November 2023. SPIC associate company Tuticorin Alkali Chemicals and Fertilisers Ltd. (TFL) will also set up a soda ash and ammonium chloride plant in Thoothukudi at an investment of Rs290 crore.
TFL uses imported ammonia received through Thoothukudi port and SPIC/Greenstar facilities, locally produced salt, and CO2 gas from SPIC’s ammonia plant. The TFL unit co-produces ammonium chloride fertilizer and also has a technical grade ammonium chloride plant, a sodium bicarbonate plant, and an ammonium bicarbonate plant.
In 2023, TFL became the first company in India to produce green soda ash and green ammonium chloride, according to the report.