Mumbai: NLC India Ltd has signed agreements with Odisha’s Industrial Promotion and Investment Corporation (IPICOL) to explore projects spanning power generation, coal gasification and mineral processing, with potential investments totalling Rs 37,000 crore.
The largest proposal is a 3,200 MW coal-fired power plant, comprising four 800 MW units, that could require an investment of Rs 35,000 crore. The project is expected to create about 4,000 jobs, NLC India said.
The company will also assess the technical feasibility of coal gasification in Odisha and the production of synthesis gas, or syngas, for potential use in the fertiliser industry. The assessment will examine possible links between coal gasification and fertiliser production.
Coal gasification converts coal into syngas, a mixture of gases that can be used to produce chemicals, hydrogen, methanol and fertiliser feedstocks. The technology could help support domestic production of these products, although its economic and environmental benefits depend on how the process is implemented.
Separately, NLC India and IPICOL signed an agreement to explore a beach sand mineral processing facility, involving a tentative investment of Rs 2,000 crore. The facility could generate about 500 jobs.
The agreements were signed in Mumbai on Thursday by IS Jasper Rose, NLC India’s executive director for mines and land, and Aboli Sunil Naravane, IPICOL’s managing director.
The proposed projects are intended to support Odisha’s industrial development, expand its power infrastructure and create opportunities in mineral processing and the coal and fertiliser industries.
