Page 134 - CW E-Magazine (8-4-2025)

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CHLORINE UTILISATION

Gujarat CM inaugurates GACL’s chlorotoluenes

plant at Dahej

The Chief Minister of Gujarat,
Mr. Bhupendra Patel, virtually inaugurated
the chlorotoluenes plant of Gujarat
Alkalies and Chemicals Limited
(GACL) on March 29.

The 30,000 tonnes per annum faci-
lity set up by the Gujarat government-
owned company at an investment of
Rs. 350-crore, is said to be India’s
largest chlorotoluenes plant. The plant
will utilise chlorine in-house to manu-
facture value-added, chlorine-based
products such as benzyl chloride,
benzyl alcohol, and benzaldehyde. The
facility is expected to generate exchange earnings. “The expected three production units – two in Dahej
approximately 1,000 direct and indi- annual revenue from the plant at current and one in Vadodara – manufacturing
rect job opportunities. market rates at full capacity is about over 35 products, including caustic soda.
Rs. 400-crores,’ the company informed The company currently holds an annual
Through exports of these chemicals in a regulatory fi ling. GACL’s Manag- production capacity of over 8,00,000
to regions like Europe, America, and ing Director and Secretary to the Chief metric tonnes of caustic soda, and is the
South Asia, the plant is expected to Minister, Ms. Avantika Singh, IAS, only producer of sodium chlorate and
contribute nearly Rs. 130-crore in foreign informed that GACL currently operates hydrazine hydrate in India.

POSITIVE TRENDS
Renewable sector poised for third consecutive year

of record capacity addition

In a boost for the country’s renewable Renewable Energy data. For the third Solar hits peak
energy ambitions, the sector is on track to straight year, the sector has outperformed As of February 2025, India’s cumu-
achieve a record capacity addition for the previous records. Between April 2024 lative renewable energy capacity had
third consecutive year. Primarily driven by and February 2025, the solar sector reached 168-GW, with solar accounting
solar energy, the fi scal year ending March contributed nearly 21-GW of new capa- for 103-GW. This includes 78.47-GW
31, 2025, is set to witness the highest-ever city (including ground-mounted, rooftop, (76.5 percent) from ground-mounted solar,
renewable energy capacity addition with hybrid and off-grid solar) compared with 16.66-GW (16.2 percent) from rooftop
new additions expected to surpass 25-GW – 15-GW in FY24 and 12.8-GW in FY23. solar, 2.85-GW (2.8 percent) from hybrid
a 35 percent increase from FY24. projects and 4.59-GW (4.5 percent) from
Meanwhile, the wind sector has off-grid solar. As of February, the wind
In the fi rst 11 months of this fi scal added 2.7-GW in the current fi scal year power sector’s cumulative capacity stood
year, 24-GW of new renewable capa- against 3.3-GW in FY24 and 2.3-GW in at 49-GW, while the total installed capacity
city has already been added to the grid, FY23. Also, biomass, small hydro, waste- for biomass reached 1.7-GW. When large
signifi cantly surpassing the 18.5-GW to-power, and waste-to-energy (off-grid) hydro projects are included, the country’s
recorded in FY24 and 15.3-GW in FY23, contributed 388-MW, 97-MW, 60-MW, overall renewable energy capacity stood
according to Union Ministry of New & and 66-MW, respectively, this fi scal. at about 215-GW as of February.

134 Chemical Weekly April 8, 2025

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