The State government will provide necessary support to Travancore-Cochin Chemicals to set up a new plant to produce caustic soda.

Inaugurating the sodium chlorate plant at TCC here at the weekend, State Industries Minister P.K. Kunhalikutty said the government would invest Rs 50 crore for setting up a 100-tonne per day caustic soda plant.

Various industries are depending on TCC for raw materials and the government’s intention is to help TCC to meet the demand, he said. The other State public sector units would be provided with necessary financial support.

TCC has set up a 5-tonne per day production unit for sodium chlorate with an investment of Rs 25 crore aimed at boosting its manufacturing process. The project is a joint venture with Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre.

Sodium chlorate is one of the essential raw materials for production of ammonium perchlorate, which constitutes a major portion of solid propellant used in rockets to be deployed by ISRO.

ISRO’s entire ammonium perchlorate requirements are met through its Ammonium Perchlorate Experimental Plant (APEP) located at Aluva, which is functioning under Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thiruvananthapuram.

The new plant at TCC will ensure 100 per cent self-reliance in the technology and production of this critical raw material.

TCC signed an MoU with VSSC in March 2010 to establish the plant and pre-commissioning operations started in February this year.

The local procurement of sodium chlorate will also enable the country to save foreign exchange through import substitution, the officials added.

Established in 1951, TCC is the pioneer in manufacturing rayon grade caustic soda in the country. The basic industrial chemicals manufactured by TCC, including chlorine products, have wide applications in daily life. The present installed capacity is 175 tonnes per day.

>sajeevkumar.v@thehindu.co.in

Published on December 1, 2013