Tata Chemicals commissioned its fertiliser division in December 1994, in Babrala in the Badaun district of Uttar Pradesh state in northern India. The complex manufactures urea, a widely used chemical fertiliser, and has an installed capacity of 8,64,600 tonnes per year, which constitutes nearly 12 per cent of the total urea produced by the country's private sector. The complex also houses an ammonia plant with a capacity of 1,520 tonnes per day.

The Babrala complex, considered to be one of the best industrial facilities in India, is the most energy efficient among all Topsoe plants globally. It is also the only fertiliser complex in the country to use a dual feedstock facility: natural gas or naphtha, or a combination of both.

Babrala was a sleepy little village before the company embarked on its nitrogenous fertiliser project. Home to a large, skilled workforce, the complex has come to occupy a place of pride in the Tata group and on the industrial map of India.

Our commitment
The Babrala project was the first step towards the fulfilment of a long-standing commitment by Tata Chemicals to provide the Indian farmer with an optimal package of agricultural inputs and services. The plant's outstanding features have made it a model industrial complex.

This is the single largest greenfield project that the Tatas have undertaken and its gestation period has been exceptionally short: it began making profits almost immediately after going into commercial production.

The company takes pride in having utilised Indian equipment and machinery to a much greater extent than any other fertiliser complex in the country. An initial foreign exchange expenditure estimate of US $185 million, was brought down to $65 million due to the company's pursuit of indigenous solutions to equipment and machinery requirements. By reducing the need for urea imports, Babrala is estimated to save India about Rs 500 crore in foreign exchange every year.

The fertiliser division at Babrala has a comprehensive environmental, occupational health and safety policy.
Its main features are:

	Conserving natural and other resources, in particular natural gas, water and chemicals.
	Maintaining and continually upgrading environmental health safety systems.
	Preventing / minimising pollution and occupational health and safety risks through improvements in processes and practices
	Ensuring compliance with all statutes and regulations pertaining to environmental health and safety (EHS) management.
	Enhancing awareness among employees through communications and training to achieve EHS objectives.
	Responding with sensitivity to the needs of the community.

Plant highlights
Commissioned in a record time of 37 months at a cost of
Rs 14.75 billion, the plant has a maximum capacity utilisation of 146 per cent. Though, the plant's 100-per-cent reassessed capacity utilisation makes it probably the most energy-efficient in the country. It is also the only one using low-energy, low-pressure technology.

The complex is unique in many ways, prominent among them being:

	A 1,520-tonne per day (tpd), single-stream ammonia plant designed by the worldwide leaders in ammonia technology, Haldor Topsoe of Denmark.
	A 2,250-tpd urea plant in two streams of 1,125 tpd each. Designed by Snamprogetti, it is based on ammonia-stripping technology.
	Two 20 MW gas turbines for full reliability on the power front.
	A bagging plant, an effluent treatment plant and other offsite facilities.
	Quality of design and construction reflected in shortest start-up period and smooth functioning
	Fully integrated energy network.
	Complete flexibility in feedstock and fuel.
	Low-energy processes in ammonia and urea plants.
	New concept of pre-reforming adopted in ammonia plant.
	Common single central control room for coordinated and integrated control.
	Complete in-house design and engineering for offsites, and utilities for high reliability.
	All major equipment and machinery indigenously manufactured and supplied.
	Best environmental management methods used -- least water consumption and effluent generation; zero effluent discharge outside the campus.
	ISO 14001 certification obtained in October 2000.