Science, Discovery, Tech and Environment · 4 April 2026

BCGCL and MCL sign Odisha land lease for 2,000 TPD coal-to-ammonium nitrate plant using BHEL technology

Exam-focused facts from the 4 April 2026 current affairs briefing.

Key facts

  • Bharat Coal Gasification and Chemicals Ltd (BCGCL) and Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd (MCL) signed a land leasing pact in Odisha for a 2,000 tonnes per day coal to ammonium nitrate project.
  • The facility will be built on about 350 acres of land possessed by MCL.
  • The project uses indigenous BHEL technology and is India’s first coal gasification initiative of this scale.
  • Recent Ministry of Coal policy reforms allow coal-bearing land to be used for coal gasification projects.