AHMEDABAD: Vadodara-based Gujarat Alkalies & Chemicals Limited (GACL), country’s major caustic soda maker to spend Rs 3500 crore for its expansion that includes a new caustic soda plant at Bhavnagar and a power plant at Dahej. It also plans to set up a new caustic soda plant or acquire an existing plant in eastern India. Confirming the development, Mr Pankaj Pujara, head of the project, said that the company would soon execute its expansion plans. According to the company, the expansion plans involve expanding the existing capacities of caustic soda, chloromethane and phosphoric acid besides caustic potash at its Dahej plant. The caustic soda capacity is being expanded by 1200 tonnes per day (TPD), that of chloromethane by 600 TPD, phosphoric acid by 300 TPD and the caustic potash to 120 TPD. The company would also come up with 120 megawatt coal-based power project at Dahej. Apart from augmenting its existing caustic soda plants, the company also exploring possibility of sett...

PUDUCHERRY: The National Green Tribunal has directed a Puducherry industrial unit not to carry out expansion to increase its production capacity, besides directing the Puducherry government to ensure that the industry does not operate without the mandatory consent and clearances from the competent authorities. Tribunal judicial member Justice M Chockalingam and expert member R Nagendran issued notices to the Puducherry government and the industrial unit — Chemfab Alkalis Ltd — to submit their replies during the next hearing slated for December 11. Puducherry Environment Protection Association (Pepa), a non-governmental organization, filed a petition before the tribunal stating that Chemfab Alkalis, which established a caustic soda lye manufacturing facility in 1984-85 with an installed capacity of 6,500 metric tonne per annum, expanded its production capacity gradually to 33,000 metric tonne per annum in 1995. The consent order issued by the Puducherry Pollution Contro...