One of the largest petrochemical companies in India, Reliance Industries Limited, for its expansion and debottlenecking Dahej petrochemical facility in Bharuch district Gujarat secures environment clearance from Environment Ministry under recommendations received from Expert Appraisal Committee.

The green nod to the proposed project, which will be carried out within the existing plant area of 700 hectare, is subject to some conditions, the official said.

The estimated cost of the project is Rs 13,250 crore. A budget of Rs 400 crore will be kept aside for environment protection and conservation.

The fuel used for the proposed project would largely be ethane, lean gas and off gas. The power required for the project will be met from the existing captive power plant.

As per the proposal, RIL Dahej facility presently utilises a mixture of ethane and propane to produce downstream products and by-products. Going forward it will modify the ratio of the raw materials on the back of availability of Shale gas ethane, which is imported from the US. This change in feedstock mixture will result in higher production of ethylene.

The RIL's proposal also include setting up of new plants including Chlorinated Poly Vinyl Chloride (CPVC), Vinyl Chloride Monomer (VCM), Poly Vinyl Chloride (PVC) and a dedicated Ethane storage tank.