Coromandel International will set up a phosphoric acid-sulphuric acid complex facility in Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh. It entails an investment of Rs 1,000 crore.

The proposed 650-tpd phosphoric acid facility boasts advanced dihydrate attack-hemihydrate filtration (DA-HF) process technology and automated DCS system. This would further enhance the company’s backward integration capacity and ensure consistent supply of phosphoric acid for fertiliser manufacturing, while also replacing more than 50 percent in imports. 

At around two million tonne capacity, the new plant will be India’s second largest phosphatic fertiliser facility and will contribute close to 15 percent of the nation’s NPK fertiliser output. The company also plans to set up an 1,800 tpd sulphuric acid plant, for meeting captive needs in phosphoric acid manufacturing, as well for augmenting power from waste heat generation. Currently, fertiliser plants at Visakhapatnam and Ennore are fully integrated.

This is in line with the government’s vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat in fertiliser sector and creating employment opportunities in the state, and moving towards self-sufficiency goals in fertiliser manufacturing. Phosphoric acid and sulphuric acid are key intermediates for manufacturing phosphatic fertilisers like DAP and NPKs.

Last week, Coromandel had signed contracts with technology partners Prayon, Belgium for DA-HF process technology for phosphoric acid manufacturing, and with MECS, USA for DCDA process technology in sulphuric acid manufacturing. The company also signed a contract with thyssenkrupp UHDE for detailed engineering of both phosphoric acid and sulphuric acid projects.