Southern Petrochemical Industries Corporation Ltd. (SPIC) has announced that it has completely transitioned to 100 per cent natural gas as a raw material source for the production of Urea.

This will lower the final cost of fertilizer production. Feedstock will now be continuously available with no storage requirements and minimum logistics and freight overheads.

Fuel oil and naphtha were traditionally the primary fuels in fertilizer production despite their higher impurity levels and environmental pollution potential. The Government of India has advised all fertilizer manufacturers to switch to natural gas.

“The completion of the Indian Oil Corporation’s (IOC) SRPL team’s Ennore cross-country pipeline and ONGC supply of domestic gas through IOCL cross-country pipeline presented SPIC with an opportunity to transition to a cleaner fuel source. SPIC is one of the anchor customers to benefit from this pipeline, said a company statement.

SPIC will consume domestic gas and re-gasified liquefied natural gas (R-LNG). In preparation for this transition, the company has adapted its primary reformer catalyst to handle 100% natural gas.

“This shift aligns with our commitment to environmental sustainability and underscores our responsiveness to government policies promoting cleaner fuel sources,” Ashwin Muthiah, Chairman, SPIC said.

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