India’s Fertilizer Sector Among Most Energy Efficient in World: Report

NEW DELHI: A first of its kind of environmental rating of Indian fertilizer industry done by the Delhi-based think tank, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), has found that the country’s fertilizer sector is among the best in the world in energy use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. However, its staggering records on water use, water pollution and plant safety is a cause of concern.

Rating India’s all 28 operational fertilizer plants on 50 parameters, the CSE’s report – released by Union environment minister Prakash Javadekar on Monday – found Grasim Industries Ltd’s Indo Gulf Fertilizers unit at Jasdishpur, Uttar Pradesh is the best, followed by Hazira unit of KRIBHCO in Gujarat and Panambur unit of Mangalore Chemicals and Fertilizers Ltd. in Karnataka.

“The Indian fertilizer industry is one of the most important industrial sectors of the country. In this unique rating and study, the CSE and its Green Rating Project (GRP) have managed to bring before us a comprehensive and extremely detailed analysis of a key industrial sector and its environmental performance in the country,” said Javadekar while presenting the report.

The report – ‘Grain by Grain’ – is the complete assessment of the environmental performance of fertilizer industry in India. This is the seventh rating project undertaken by GRP. The Project has, earlier, rated the pulp and paper, automobile, chloro-alkali, cement, iron and steel and thermal power sectors.

“The ratings recognise the good performers and push the bad ones to improve. The rating process is robust and transparent and the outcomes of our ratings have been used by companies as well as policy-makers to improve policies and practices,” said the CSE’s director general Sunita Narain in her opening address.
The CSE claimed to have undertaken the exercise through 18-month-long process where the fertiliser sector was rated on more than 50 parameters.
“The fertilizer sector as a whole has turned out a better performer than any of the other sectors rated by GRP,” said Chandra Bhushan, deputy director general of the CSE and head of the Green Rating Project.
The report shows that 57% of the plants voluntarily participated in the rating by disclosing information and by allowing GRP team to verify them on the site. The remaining plants were rated on the basis of information available in the public domain and stakeholder surveys.
“The NFL and IFFCO, the biggest public sector companies, refused to voluntarily participate in the rating,” said Bhushan.

Source: ToI

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