Chennai: Tata Chemicals, a leading producer of soda ash and related chemicals, is undertaking Rs 1,290 crore worth of capacity expansion projects, including a greenfield unit in Tamil Nadu. “The Board approved an investment of Rs 515 crore for setting up a greenfield facility for iodised salt at Valinokkam. This facility is expected to be completed over the next 36 months,” R Mukundan, MD and CEO of Tata Chemicals, told the Q3FY26 earnings call.The proposed investment will be incurred to establish a new manufacturing facility for Iodised Vacuum Salt Dried (IVSD) at Valinokkam in Ramanathapuram district, located in the southern part of Tamil Nadu. This new facility has been planned to meet growing demand for high-quality iodised salt while supporting long-term, sustainable growth. The new unit, with a capacity of 210 kilotonnes per annum (KTPA), is expected to be commissioned by Q2 FY2029. The project will be funded through a mix of internal accruals and external funding. Currently, Tata Chemicals operates an IVSD manufacturing plant at Mithapur, Gujarat, with a capacity of 1.6 million tonnes per annum. According to the company, the new facility aims to create a second manufacturing hub in South India, enhance supply chain efficiency, and optimise logistics costs. The company, which is part of the Tata Group, is also establishing a precipitated silica plant in Cuddalore in Tamil Nadu with a capacity of 50 KTPA at an investment of Rs. 775 crore. This project is expected to be commissioned by the fourth quarter of FY2028. This follows the commissioning of a pearl-grade silica unit with a capacity of 3,000 MTPA in Cuddalore in Nov 2025. Tata Chemicals is also investing Rs.135 crore to set up a dense soda ash plant with a capacity of 350 KTPA in Mithapur. This capacity is expected to be commissioned by Q3 of FY2028
