thyssenkrupp nucera, based in Dortmund, Germany, has started up what it calls one of the largest single-train chlor-alkali plants in India, which make caustic soda and chlorine, for Kutch Chemical, a chemicals maker in the western state of Gujarat. The plant, at Padana in Gujarat, can make 220,000 metric tons of caustic soda a year, or up to 675 metric tons a day.
The German company supplied the engineering, technology and equipment, and helped Kutch Chemical start the plant. thyssenkrupp nucera announced that the electrolyzers are now running.
The technology
Kutch Chemical chose thyssenkrupp nucera’s newest design, called BM Generation 6+. The plant runs five electrolyzers of that design, and each one can produce up to 135 metric tons of caustic soda a day. According to the company, that makes them the highest-capacity single electrolyzers installed in India.
Kutch Chemical will use the caustic soda and the chlorine in its own production and sell the rest in India. The company makes and exports specialty and bulk chemicals from an integrated complex in Gujarat, with work in chlorination, nitration and dye intermediates.
A partnership since 2017
The two companies first worked together in 2017, on an initial chlor-alkali plant at the site. thyssenkrupp nucera has supported each expansion since, in step with Kutch Chemical’s growth plans.
“This project highlights the importance of efficient and reliable Chlor-Alkali technology,” said Kiran Joseph, CEO of thyssenkrupp nucera India.
Jai Prakash Goyal, Whole-time Director of Kutch Chemical, said the commissioning is “an important step for Kutch Chemical” and that “thyssenkrupp nucera combines proven Chlor-Alkali technology with extensive project execution expertise.”
thyssenkrupp nucera has more than 1,000 employees worldwide and more than 600 projects behind it, with over ten gigawatts of electrolysis capacity installed.
Why this matters
Kutch Chemical has grown its plant in stages since 2017, and each stage has run on a German supplier’s technology. For American and European companies that sell equipment and know-how, the lesson is that a customer in India can grow into a repeat buyer, one expansion at a time.
