The Tata group and South African giant Sasol have appointed old Tata Chemicals hand Ashok J Gupta as chief executive officer of Strategic Energy Technology Systems, which promises to be the largest ever FDI project in the fuels sector in India till date.

The JV is in the process of building a 80,000 barrels per day coal to liquids fuel plant in Orissa. A top Sasol source told Financial Chronicle that Gupta’s, previously a senior vice-president in charge of new business and projects at Tata Chemicals, appointment was to ensure that local expertise is leveraged to fast track the project implementation. Gupta was one of the six members of the Tata Chemicals executive committee.

A bachelor in technology (BTech) in chemicals with over 30 years of experience, he was paid a gross remuneration of around Rs 72.03 lakh in 2008-09.

His appointment as CEO may also influence the outcome of the product mix of the coal to liquids JV. Mark Schnell, country president of Sasol India, had previously told FC that the plant could produce naphtha that’s used to make ethylene or use the large quantities of nitrogen, to produce ammonia or urea for fertilisers. Tata Chemicals has been lobbying Sasol to produce the fertiliser inputs, which would help it tie up a reliable long-term source for supply of inputs used in manufacture of complex fertilisers.

Gupta is also expected to help the JV in the key task of securing land for the project in a state that has proven problematic for steel makers ranging from Posco to ArcelorMittal. “We are every aware that this is a mega project that will take a long time to start generating cash and hence we will jointly make an all out effort to shorten the timeline of the project,” Schnell had previously told FC.