PCBL Chemical has received approval under the Electronics Components Manufacturing Scheme (ECMS) for its Acetylene Black Project with a proposed investment of approximately ₹329 crore. According to reports from Business Standard, this approval represents a significant milestone for the company's expansion into critical materials manufacturing for advanced applications, marking the first formal approval for the company's advanced-materials expansion initiative. The company is an entity under RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group, which formerly operated as Philips Carbon Black Ltd and entered this space in India after signing a technology transfer agreement with China's Ningxia Jinhua Chemical Co. in February last year.
Acetylene Black serves as a critical conductive material used in lithium-ion batteries and various advanced industrial applications. As reported by Business Standard, this material plays a crucial role in the development of the domestic advanced materials ecosystem and strengthens local supply chains for the growing battery and industrial sectors. The conductive-material project specifically targets lithium-ion battery and advanced industrial applications, supporting domestic supply chains and import substitution efforts.
The proposed project is expected to deliver multiple economic benefits including reducing import dependence on critical materials, generating skilled employment opportunities, and enhancing the Company's participation in the global value chain. According to Business Standard, these outcomes align with India's strategy to build domestic capabilities in advanced materials manufacturing, with the project specifically supporting import substitution, skilled employment generation, and global value-chain participation in the advanced materials sector. The latest approvals bring total ECMS investments to ₹69,548 crore, exceeding the government's initial expectation of ₹59,000 crore, with 106 projects approved so far generating over 74,628 direct new jobs.
The latest approvals represent the first tranche since March 30, when Meity had approved ₹7,104 crore in electronics component investments. As reported by Live Mint, Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw noted that 38 projects have already started manufacturing under the ECMS framework, with 16 projects under active construction. The minister emphasized that the industry is off to a "good beginning" with the scheme designed to increase the net share of high-margin domestic income in India's electronics industry, which produced goods worth over ₹13 trillion in FY26. The approvals span multiple sectors including Wipro's ₹1,033 crore investment in copper-clad laminates, Jyoti CNC's ₹1,021 crore for capital goods manufacturing, and Micromax's ₹1,015 crore investment in display modules and precision moulding instruments.
