The US based world leader in coal gasification, Air Products and Chemicals is going to invest $5-10 billion over the next five years in coal gasification projects in India. Air Products will build, own and operate multiple world-class coal gasification complexes in India, partner with coal suppliers like Coal India to get the feedstock, and supply industrial gases to end customers.

To begin with, the company is looking at a $2-billion investment, similar to the one Air Products recently announced to set up in Indonesia, according to a report by Business Today. The company sees India as a major growth market in future, as the country is opening up the said Richard Boocock, Senior Vice-President and Chief Information Officer of Air Products. "Industrial gases are a highly localised industry as its transportation is an issue. India is a growing market for manufacturing and the 'self-reliant India' policies will also help growth of consumption of industrial gases, a primary enabler for industrial activity across many sectors," he said.

The Ministry of Coal has recently set a target to gasify 100 million tonnes of coal by 2030, as part of the vision to ensure energy security, reduce coal imports and dependence on fossil fuels. Recently, the state-run Coal India (CIL) had announced to set up a coal-gasification project in five years with an estimated investment of Rs 5,800 crore in the Dankuni coal complex in West Bengal. Coal gasification is the process of producing syngas, a mixture of hydrogen, carbon dioxide and other compounds.

Air Products' proprietary 'Syngas Solutions' - dry-feed gasifier - will enable nearly two million tonnes per year (TPY) of methanol to be produced from nearly six million TPY of coal. Air Products is currently executing many gasification projects in China, Saudi Arabia, and Indonesia. The company already operates an industrial gas complex at Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL)'s Kochi refinery. Its coal gasification technology is also being used in the Talcher fertiliser project in Odisha, being executed by a consortium of public sector companies. (Source: Business Today)