Gujarat Alkalies and Chemicals Limited (GACL) has officially held a ground-breaking ceremony for its new 33,870 Tonnes Per Annum (TPA) food-grade Phosphoric Acid plant (PPA-II) at its flagship manufacturing complex in Dahej, Bharuch district, Gujarat.

The ceremony, which took place on October 22, 2026, marks the official start of construction for a project that will effectively double the company’s capacity for purified, food-grade phosphoric acid.

The facility boasts an operational capacity of 33,870 tonnes per annum (TPA) at 85% (H3PO4) (equivalent to 21,000 TPA at 100% (P2O5). Built with a total capital investment of Rs. 520 crore, the project is strategically positioned to strengthen the company’s specialty chemicals portfolio.

A major objective of this expansion is import substitution. India currently relies heavily on imported purified phosphoric acid—historically consuming around 35,000 MTA annually—making GACL's facility vital for domestic self-sufficiency in the food, beverage, and industrial sectors.

The plant also optimizes GACL's core chlor-alkali operations via effective chlorine integration. By utilizing byproduct chlorine to synthesize hydrochloric acid (HCl), which feeds the phosphoric acid process, GACL insulates its operating margins from volatile merchant chlorine prices.

To support this, the board has approved a new Rs. 55 crore HCl synthesis unit at the site. This launch aligns with GACL's broader green growth strategy, which includes elevating its renewable energy integration to lower power costs.