India’s Essar to set up phenol plant in Gujarat

28 August 2008 18:35  [Source: ICIS news]

NEW DELHI (ICIS news)--India’s Essar Gujarat Petrochemicals Limited (EGPL) would set up a phenol plant based on a cumene process developed by Italy’s Polimeri Europa (PE) and offered by Lummus Technologies of the US, a government source said on Thursday.

The plant would have capacity to produce 200,000 tonnes/year of phenol and 120,000 tonnes/year of co-product acetone, an Indian government official said. The Indian Rupees(Rs)7bn ($160m) plant would also produce intermediate cumene by alkalization of benzene with propylene.

The plant would form part of the EGPL’s petrochemical complex that is scheduled  for commissioning by April 2012 at Vadinar in Jamnagar district of Gujarat State.

According to EGPL, the cumene process uses a unique zeolite catalyst named PBE-1 developed by PE, which is a 100% owned subsidiary of Italy’s ENI SpA.

EGPL has filed an application with the Indian Government, seeking approval for its technical collaboration for phenol plant with Lummus, which has the right to license PE’s cumene process to other companies.

EGPL would pay $8.6m to Lummus as fees for supply of know-how and basic engineering package, the official said.

($1 = Rs43.64)

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By: Naresh Minocha
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