Indian Railway Finance Corporation (IRFC) on Friday announced that it has joined the consortium of lenders funding Talcher Fertilizers Limited’s (TFL) coal gasification-based urea production facility in Odisha. The company is extending loan assistance worth ₹4,000 crore as part of the overall sanctioned debt package of ₹12,250 crore .
TFL, a joint venture of Coal India, GAIL, Rashtriya Chemicals & Fertilizers (RCF), and Fertilizer Corporation of India (FCIL), is setting up India’s first coal gasification-based urea plant in Talcher, Angul. The state-of-the-art facility will produce 1.27 million metric tonnes of neem-coated urea annually using indigenous coal, reducing reliance on imported natural gas and boosting domestic fertilizer self-sufficiency under the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative.
The project is part of the government’s fertilizer sector revival programme, which identified five closed urea units for revival. Talcher is the first among them to deploy coal gasification technology. To support logistics, a dedicated railway siding is being developed under Indian Railways’ Gati Shakti Multi-Modal Cargo Terminal policy, with the facility expected to handle nearly five rakes daily .
IRFC, which recently attained Navratna status, said this partnership aligns with its broader mandate of financing railway-linked infrastructure, including power, mining, fuel, and logistics. “We are proud to partner in this pioneering project that is central to India’s fertilizer self-reliance. IRFC’s long-term and competitive financing will support timely execution of Talcher Fertilizers, ensuring sustainable growth in domestic urea production and strengthening railway-linked infrastructure,” the company’s CMD stated .
