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Oswal plans Australia ammonia plant

The Oswal group said on Tuesday it plans to build a A$600 million ammonia project on the Burrup peninsula near Karratha in Western Australia.

Most of the 700,000 tonnes a year of anhydrous ammonia would be exported to Oswal companies in India for conversion into fertiliser.

A public environmental review was due to start in July and if all approvals were received construction would start early next year, with start-up by 2004.

The plant would be built by Burrup Fertilisers Pty Ltd, which was promoted and funded by Indian-based fertiliser, petrochemicals and agri-products company, the Oswal Group, Burrup Fertilisers managing director Pankaj Oswal said in a statement.

Oswal said his company had selected Western Australia over alternative sites in Trinidad and Venezuela.

"We chose Western Australia because of its ease of access to the Indian market, competitive gas prices and business environment," he said in a statement.

Natural gas from the ammonia plant would be supplied by the Harriet joint venture, in which Apache Energy has a 68.5 per cent stake.

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