PCBL selects site for new carbon black facility

Kolkata, India – PCBL Chemical Ltd (formerly Phillips Carbon Black Ltd) has selected the location for its sixth manufacturing facility in India.

As previously reported by ERJ, the greenfield expansion will enable PCBL to reach total production of 1 million tonnes per annum within three years. (ERJ report)

The new greenfield plant will be built on a 116-acre site in Naidupeta, in the southeastern Indian province of Andhra Pradesh, said CFO Raj Gupta said on a 10 Jan earnings call.

Gupta did not provide further details on the capacity or cost of the proposed facility.

Currently, the Indian group’s carbon black production capacity stands at 790 kilotonnes per annum (ktpa): comprising of both speciality and rubber carbon black products.

PCBL has commissioned a 20ktpa speciality project in Mundra, while a 30ktpa brownfield expansion in Tamil Nadu is awaiting environmental-authority approval to come on-line, Gupta explained.

Furthermore, a second-phase 60ktpa expansion in Tamil Nadu will bring the total installed capacity of the group to 880ktpa within the “next three or four quarters,” continued the CFO.

Phase I of the Tamil Nadu project in southern India has the nameplate production capacity of 63ktpa and was commissioned in April 2023.

Upon completion of all phases, the plant will have a production capacity of 147ktpa, supported by 24MW of 'green' energy.

In addition, Gupta said PCBL had started project work on a new speciality line in Tamil Nadu, which would cater to application segments such as conductive polymers and batteries.

During the third quarter of fiscal year 2025 (ending 31 March), PCBL’s carbon black business reported a 5% year-on-year increase in volume to 144,000 tonnes, translating to a utilisation-rate of over 90%.

Of the total, domestic sales volume stood at 84,369 tonnes, while international sales volume reached 59,132 tonnes.

Tire reinforcement products accounted for 86,886 tonnes of overall carbon black volumes, added PCBL.

According to its website, PCBL currently operates five carbon black units, including a 164 ktpa unit in Durgapur, with three production lines for ASTM and some non-ASTM grades.

In Kochi, the group acquired a plant through merger with Carbon and Chemicals India Ltd in 1996. The unit has two production lines with a total capacity of 93ktpa of ASTM carbon black grades.

At Palej, Gujarat, PCBL operates a plant with a nameplate capacity of 142ktpa producing rubber grades and speciality carbon blacks.

In Mundra, PCBL has a total production capacity of 204.750 ktpa of rubber carbon blacks and has recently added a 20ktpa line for speciality grades.

Also, PCBL added a unit in Chennai, Tamil Nadu in 2023 with an overall production capacity of 147ktpa once all phases are completed.