The Prime Minister laid the foundation stone for India's first commercial-scale Coal-to-Ammonium Nitrate Project at Lakhanpur in Jharsuguda district, Odisha.
The project is being developed by Bharat Coal Gasification and Chemicals Limited (BCGCL), a joint venture of Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) and Coal India Limited (CIL). It will use coal gasification to produce ammonium nitrate, a chemical used in fertilisers and explosives, helping India use its domestic coal reserves more productively and reduce import dependence.