Reliance Industries Ltd., India's largest private sector company with annual revenues in excess of $66 billion, has begun construction of a $12-billion coke gasification plant. The project—located in Jamnagar, in the west Indian state of Gujarat—will be constructed adjacent to the firm's two existing refineries.

The gasification plant is one of the largest such investments worldwide and will start production in 36 months, says an RIL spokesman. "It's definitely very large, but we are still working on the final configuration," he adds.