ANGUL: Acknowledging inordinate delay, Union minister of state for Chemical and Fertilisers Anupriya Patel has assured completion of the Rs 13,288 crore Talcher Fertiliser Limited (TFL) at the earliest.
The minister informed this while replying to an un-starred question raised by Dhenkanal MP Rudra Narayan Pany in Lok Sabha. The targeted completion of the project was September 2024.
Patel informed that overall progress of the project was 65.66 per cent as on February 25. As regards to the outside battery limit package, the progress is about 77 per cent. The pipe rack, plant lighting, boiler and water treatment plant as well as DM water plant are at advanced stage of mechanical completion, she added.
Patel said, the project is being regularly reviewed by joint venture partners and TFL board and all efforts are being made for an early completion. The TFL is in regular contacts with China-based Wuhan Engineering Company Ltd (WECL) which was awarded the contract for coal gasification and ammonia urea package in 2019.
After the Centre decided revival of Talcher unit of Fertiliser Corporation of India in Odisha, a joint venture company named TFL was incorporated for setting up coal gasification- based ammonia urea plant with an annual capacity of 12.7 lakh metric tonne. This was the first of its kind in India.
Patel blamed Covid-19 pandemic for the delay in the implementation of the project. Progress of the project has been impacted due to backlog in procurement construction and equipment erection by WECL.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had laid the foundation stone of TFL in September 2018 at Talcher.