CIL and HURL to develop coal-based urea plant 

State run companies Coal India Limited (CIL) and Hindustan Urvarak and Rasayan Ltd (HURL) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to explore setting up a coal gasification-based ammonia-urea plant at HURL’s Sindri site in Jharkhand state. HURL currently operates an ammonia-urea plant with 2,200 t/d of ammonia and 3,850 t/d of urea capacity at the site, which began operations in 2023.

The companies say that the new initiative seeks to harness domestic coal via coal gasification to produce synthesis gas for ammonia and urea production, bringing together CIL’s expertise in the coal sector and HURL’s experience in large-scale fertilizer manufacturing, and aims “to advance resource optimisation, energy security and fertilizer self-reliance, while opening new pathways for reducing dependence on imported fertilizers and natural gas”.