2026-10-21
- Adperma Private Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Haldia Petrochemicals Limited (HPL), held the inauguration of its integrated phenol and acetone plant at Haldia, West Bengal, on 14 October 2026, according to reports.
- The project cost is reported at ₹6,000 crore (about ₹60 billion), with annual capacity of 345,000 tonnes (3.45 lakh tonnes) of phenol and 215,000 tonnes (2.15 lakh tonnes) of acetone.
- Process technology was licensed by Lummus Technology, a TCG Group company, and the plant is integrated with HPL’s existing petrochemical complex, which supplies propylene and benzene as feedstocks.
- The company describes the facility as India’s largest integrated plant of its kind and the first phenol plant on the country’s east coast.
Haldia Petrochemicals Limited (HPL) has inaugurated a phenol and acetone plant at Haldia in India’s West Bengal state, with the ceremony held on 14 October 2026, according to reports. The project is owned by Adperma Private Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of HPL, and its cost is reported at ₹6,000 crore (about ₹60 billion). Annual capacity is reported at 345,000 tonnes of phenol and 215,000 tonnes of acetone.
HPL describes the plant as India’s largest integrated facility of its kind and the first phenol plant on the east coast. Phenol and acetone are chemical intermediates that India has historically imported in large volumes, according to the reports. The company said the plant will improve domestic availability of chemical intermediates and allow HPL to move into higher-value products. The ceremony was reportedly attended by West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, Purnendu Chatterjee, Chairman of The Chatterjee Group, and Navanit Narayan, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of HPL.
Adperma Private Limited is wholly owned by HPL. The plant is integrated with HPL’s existing petrochemical complex at Haldia, which supplies propylene and benzene, the two feedstocks, according to reports. These are converted into phenol and acetone within the complex, which is why the company calls it an integrated plant.
Process technology was licensed by Lummus Technology. It was heard that Lummus would provide HPL with its Olefins Conversion Technology (OCT) for propylene production, as well as cumene and phenol process technologies. The technologies for cumene and phenol are heard as Lummus/Versalis technologies. The financial terms of the licensing were not disclosed.
Phenol is used to make bisphenol-A (BPA), polycarbonates and phenolic resins, which go into laminates, plywood and adhesives, according to the reports. Acetone is used in paints and coatings, pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, personal care products and industrial solvents. The company expects the plant to support downstream manufacturing and to bring new investment and employment to the region, although no employment figures have been disclosed.
Haldia is home to the Haldia Dock Complex of Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, Kolkata. Maritime Gateway reported that domestic output is expected to reduce imports over time, create new flows of finished goods and increase demand for liquid bulk handling, tank storage and multimodal connectivity.
Numbers
- Investment: ₹6,000 crore (about ₹60 billion; 1 crore equals 10 million rupees)
- Phenol capacity: 345,000 tonnes per year (3.45 lakh tonnes)
- Acetone capacity: 215,000 tonnes per year (2.15 lakh tonnes)
- Feedstocks: propylene and benzene, supplied by HPL’s existing petrochemical complex
- Process technology: Lummus Technology (TCG Group company)
- Inauguration: 14 October 2026, Haldia, West Bengal
The figures announced at inauguration differ from those reported at the planning stage. The ICIS report of 2 November 2023 described the plan as 300,000 tonnes per year of phenol, 185,000 tonnes per year of acetone and 117,000 tonnes per year of on-purpose propylene, with a project cost of ₹30 billion (about $360 million at $1 = ₹83.22) and completion expected in the first quarter of 2026. A Press Trust of India (PTI) report of 3 January 2024, published by Outlook Business, put the cost at ₹3,000 crore at the start of piling work, with capacity of 300,000 tonnes per year of phenol and 185,000 tonnes per year of acetone. The reasons for the changes between the planned and announced figures have not been disclosed.
At the time of the 2023 announcement, HPL said that its chemicals business portfolio would grow by an additional ₹5,000 crore (₹50 billion) once the plant was commissioned.
Timeline
2023-10-13 — HPL announces the phenol and acetone plant plan
2023-11-01 — Lummus Technology announces it will provide OCT, cumene and phenol process technologies to HPL
2024-01-03 — Report on the start of piling work at Haldia is published
2026-10-14 — Adperma phenol and acetone plant inaugurated at Haldia, West Bengal
2026-10-15 — Industry media report on the inauguration
Note
BPA (bisphenol-A) is an intermediate made by reacting phenol with acetone and is a raw material for polycarbonates and epoxy resins. Olefins Conversion Technology (OCT) is a Lummus process that produces propylene by reacting ethylene with butene.