One of India’s leading producers of industrial salt and soda ash is the chemicals company GHCL Ltd. Over a six-year period, it will invest Rs. 6,500 crore to build a one-million-tonne soda ash factory in Kutch, Gujarat. The corporation will almost double its production capacity with a 30% market share in India as its goal.
In two stages, the greenfield unit will be constructed. A 0.5 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) capacity addition will be made in the first phase at a cost of 4,500 crore, and a second 0.5 mtpa addition would be made in phase II at a cost of 2,500 crore.
“Work is already on at our greenfield soda ash plant near Kutch and in three years the first phase will be commissioned. We would be ready to tap the increasing demand in Indian markets with Phase 2 being ready and commissioned by 2030,” Ravi S Jalan, Managing Director, GHCL, told businessline.
The company’s current soda ash manufacturing facility at Sutrapada, also in Gujarat, stands at 1.2 mtpa.
According to Jalan, , the company’s existing market share is 26 per cent and capacity expansion will help increase its market share not just in India, but also help tap neighbouring markets such as Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh.
