Gujarat Alkalies to invest Rs 683 cr for setting up chloromethanes plant

Gujarat Alkalies and Chemicals Ltd (GACL) will set up a chloromethanes plant having capacity of 105,000 tonne per annum (TPA) – or 315 metric tonne per day (MTPD) – at Dahej with an investment of Rs 683 crores.

“The board of directors of the company at its meeting held on November 10, 2016 has approved the establishment of 105,000 TPA (315 MTPD) chloromethanes plant at Dahej with an estimated project cost of Rs 683 crores. The expected project completion date is 24 months from zero date,” said GACL in a BSE filing on last Friday.

The company already has a chloromethanes plant at Vadodara complex with a capacity of 37,950 TPA. Chloromethanes are a range of chemicals that are used as industrial solvent, aerosol propellant and refrigerant.

Meanwhile, GACL-Nalco Alkalies & Chemicals Pvt Ltd – a joint venture formed by GACL and National Aluminium Company Ltd (Nalco) for setting a caustic soda (or sodium hydroxide) project and a coal-based power plant (CPP) at Dahej - has revised its draft project report due to slight change in location of the project. GACL has also revised the cost of this venture, which will set up an 800-TDP (266,667 metric TPA) caustic soda plant along with 130 MW CPP, to Rs 1,936. 90 crores.

In addition, the board has also approved the setting up of caustic pumping and transfer facility along with procurement of wagons under Liberised Wagon Investment Scheme (LWIS) of Indian Railways for transportation of caustic soda to Nalco’s Damanjodi site in Odisha at a cost of Rs 62.70 crores in the JV company. Thus, the total project cost for this project would be Rs 1999.60 crores.