The overseas plans will increase TPL's total capacity to 2,80,000 tonne per annum (tpa) by 2003.
The move is part of the company's plan to emerge the world's third largest producer of linear alkyl benzene (LAB) in the next three years.
LAB is predominantly used as detergent intermediate worldwide due to its optimum cost-performance benefit.
The Rs 570-crore TPL is currently placed eighth in the world LAB market. The top two global players in the segment today are Spain-based Petresa and Condea, Germany, both of which focus on Europe and North America.
"While the Saudi Arabia plant entails an investment of $240 million, the Vietnam plant requires funds to the tune of $140 million," said D Arunachalam, managing director, TPL.
TPL's current capacity is 85,000 tpa of LAB. With the Rs 76-crore temperature control reactor in place, the capacity would scale up to 100,000 tpa in a year's time. By 2002, the Manali plant would have touched 1,20,000 tpa.
The Vietnam and Saudi Arabia plants will chip in 80,000 tpa each by 2003.
"TPL's will be the first LAB plant in Vietnam. The country does not have an LAB plant as of now," Arunachalam said. While the Vietnam plant will not produce n-paraffin, the excess paraffin from the Saudi plant will be moved to Vietnam, Arunachalam said.
The Saudi plant has a n-paraffin capacity of 100,000 tpa and LAB capacity of 80,000 tpa.
According to Arunachalam, TPL has already reached an understanding with the Vietnam government-owned Petro to jointly develop the LAB project in that country.
In Saudi Arabia, TPL has roped in a strategic investor Saudi Offset Ltd Partnership and is now scouting for a native partner.
"We will retain management control in both our overseas ventures," Arunachalam said.
TPL was looking at a debt-equity mix of 65:35 in the two projects. The company has already moved the government of Vietnam and Saudi Arabia for licence, he added.
Meanwhile, the company also plans to beef up its exports. TPL exported around 5,000 tpa of LAB the previous year. It hopes to export around 8,000 tpa in the current fiscal. "With our eyes firmly set on the international market, we want to achieve consistent exports of 15,000 tpa in the next couple of years," Arunachalam said.
