In India, the spatial distribution of nitrogenous fertilizer manufacturing units underwent a major locational shift following the expansion of cross-country natural gas pipelines like the Hazira-Vijaypur-Jagdishpur (HVJ) network. Which of the following factors best explains why modern urea plants are increasingly located in inland agricultural regions along pipeline routes rather than being confined near coalfields or coastal crude oil refineries?
- Pipeline transport of natural gas provides flexible raw material access, allowing plants to locate closer to major agricultural consuming markets and reduce finished fertilizer distribution costs.Cevap
- BNatural gas is a heavily weight-losing raw material, which strictly forces manufacturing units to be established near inland pipeline junction points to avoid mass loss.
- CInland alluvial and black soil belts naturally produce heavy naphtha reserves, making pipeline-fed inland sites self-sufficient in raw mineral inputs.
- DCoastal locations are geographically unsuitable for ammonia synthesis because maritime humidity prevents the catalytic reaction of atmospheric nitrogen.
Cevap
Pipeline transport of natural gas provides flexible raw material access, allowing plants to locate closer to major agricultural consuming markets and reduce finished fertilizer distribution costs.
The correct option explains that pipeline transportation of natural gas frees fertilizer production from raw-material site lock-in. Because finished fertilizer bags are bulky and expensive to transport across long distances, establishing plants near major agricultural consumption regions in Northern and Central India minimizes overall supply chain and freight costs.
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Anahtar Kavram
Locational dynamics of the gas-based fertilizer industry in India