GAIL (India) Ltd and Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilizers Ltd (RCF) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to jointly establish a gas-based fertilizer project in the state of Maharashtra, India, through a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV).
The proposed urea production facility, with a planned capacity of 1.27 million tpy, is envisaged to be established in the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra along GAIL's Mumbai–Nagpur–Jharsuguda Natural Gas Pipeline (MNJPL). To facilitate the implementation of the project, GAIL has entered a strategic partnership with RCF, with both organisations working collaboratively to take the project from conceptualisation to implementation.
The MoU was signed by Shri Sanjay Agarwal, ED (BD & Start-up) of GAIL and Jyoti Patil, Executive Director (Project, Corporate & Co-ordination) of RCF, in the presence of Shri Deepak Gupta, CMD, GAIL and Shri S. Shivakumar, CMD, RCF.
Senior management from both the companies, Shri R.K. Singhal, Director (BD), GAIL, Nazhat J. Shaikh, Director (Finance), RCF and Ritu Goswami, Director (Technical), RCF, were present during the MoU signing ceremony.
Speaking on the occasion Shri Deepak Gupta, CMD, GAIL (India) Ltd, said: “The proposed fertilizer project aligns with GAIL’s strategy of creating long-term value through natural gas utilisation and contributing to India’s energy security objectives. We are pleased to partner with RCF, a leading fertilizer company with proven expertise in the sector. This collaboration combines GAIL’s strengths in the natural gas value chain with RCF’s rich experience in fertilizer manufacturing and project execution. Further, this partnership between GAIL & RCF is aligned with Government of India’s recently approved National Investment Policy for urea-2026 (NIPU-2026) towards Atmanirbhar Bharat.”
Shri S. Shivakumar, C&MD, RCF stated: “RCF is delighted to collaborate with GAIL for the development of this important gas-based fertilizer project in Maharashtra. The proposed project is expected to contribute significantly towards meeting the growing fertilizer demand in the country, reducing import dependence and promoting industrial development in the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra. Leveraging RCF's extensive experience in fertilizer plant operations, project development and marketing, together with GAIL's robust gas infrastructure and energy expertise, this partnership has the potential to create a world-class fertilizer facility.”