GHCL Ltd, has received environmental clearance from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change for its Soda Ash Greenfield Project in Kutch, Gujarat. 

The environmental clearance given on December 12, 2024, will help the company start setting up a 1.1 MMTPA Soda Ash plant over six years at a capital outlay of ₹6,500 crore, stated an official release. R S Jalan, MD, GHCL Limited, stated,”The approval for the new plant of Soda Ash will play a significant role in achieving India’s vision of Green Energy and AtmaNirbharta.”

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India, which aims to reach 500 GW of installed capacity of green energy by 2030, will witness a Soda Ash demand of around 7.0 MTPA. Currently, India produces 3.6 MTPA of Soda Ash which is merely 6 per cent of the global Soda Ash manufacturing capacity, Jalan said. GHCL is currently the second-largest manufacturer of soda ash in India, and it has a nearly four decade long presence. The upcoming Greenfield project will almost double its production capacities. This forthcoming plant in Greenfield will be equipped with ultra-modern technology, with a focus on carbon neutrality by exploring the use of green energy resources. 

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The plant will encourage the setting up of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the logistics, and packaging material segments, ensuring increased prosperity and economic upliftment of the local communities and facilitating the development of locals, the release added.