By Bizodisha Bureau, Bhubaneswar, September 17, 2019: Talcher Fertilizers Limited (TFL) has awarded a lump sum turnkey contract to Chinese company Wuhuan Engineering Company Limited, for implementing the coal gasification and ammonia/urea packages of TFL. Wuhuan has rich Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) experience in coal gasification plants.

This contract has been awarded to augment the domestic urea capacity and revive closed fertiliser units of Fertilizer Corporation of India Limited (FCIL).

TFL is a joint venture company of nominated public sector undertakings namely Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertiliser, Coal India, FCIL and GAIL.

“With an estimated investment of ₹ 13,277 crores, the project shall produce 1.27 million tonnes per annum of Neem coated Urea through the gasification of a mixed feedstock comprising of high ash Indian coal and pet coke,” a GAIL statement said.

A ‘Ceremony of Award’ was held at New Delhi in the presence of union minister for chemicals and fertilisers, D V Sadananda Gowda and union minster for petroleum and natural gas and steel, Dharmendra Pradhan.

TFL has been allotted northern part of North Arkhapal mine as captive one for meeting its coal requirements. The pet coke will be sourced from Paradip refinery of IOCL. The likely commissioning of this project is around the third quarter of 2023, the statement added.

The ‘Inauguration of Works’ of the project has already been done by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Sept, 2018 and ever since TFL is executing many of the pre-project activities at site which are essential before actual project work commences.

This project, when completed, shall improve India’s self-sufficiency in Urea and promote agriculture growth reducing the country’s dependence on import of urea country which shall in turn is expected to have a significant effect on the LNG imports besides providing employment opportunities to the local populace and also flipping the ancillary industries in the region, the statement added.