Guwahati, Sept 6: In a major boost to India’s green energy mission, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the country’s first bamboo-based bio-refinery at Numaligarh in Assam’s Golaghat district on September 14.
The ₹7,200-crore project has been developed by Assam Bio Ethanol Pvt. Limited (ABEPL), a joint venture of Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL) and Finnish companies Fortum and Chempolis. Executed in EPCM mode by Engineers India Limited (EIL) with technology support from Chempolis, the refinery marks India’s first attempt to produce fuel-grade ethanol from bamboo biomass.
Officials said the initiative is aligned with India’s target of 20% ethanol blending in petrol by 2025, a strategy aimed at reducing dependence on imported crude oil and promoting renewable energy. “The use of energy is growing rapidly, and the resources of our planet are already under great pressure. India must diversify into renewable energy to meet rising demand while reducing fossil fuel use,” an official noted.
The facility will produce 49,000 tonnes of bio-ethanol annually, alongside 11,000 TPA of acetic acid and 19,000 TPA of furfural. It will source bamboo directly from nearly 3,000 farmers across Assam, creating a value chain estimated at ₹200 crore every year. Capable of processing 500,000 tonnes of bamboo annually, the project is expected to deliver both economic and environmental dividends.
“This project is anticipated to set the benchmark for India’s bio-refinery programmes in the coming years. It will not only boost the supply of ethanol for the transportation segment but also open more opportunities for the deployment of technologies related to the production of value-added products and chemicals from by-products of the bio-refinery” an official of Engineers India Limited said.
“This will be the first project in India where ethanol will be produced from bamboo,” said Bhaskar Jyoti Phukan, Managing Director of Numaligarh Refinery. “It will reduce India’s crude oil imports, save valuable foreign exchange, and cut carbon dioxide emissions by nearly 80% compared to petrol.”
Designed as a carbon-negative facility, the refinery will generate 25 MW of green power from bamboo residue, of which 20 MW will be used internally and 5 MW supplied to the refinery. In partnership with IIT Guwahati, the project is also exploring bamboo waste pyrolysis to produce biochar.
Beyond ethanol, the refinery will yield furfural for resins, acetic acid, enzymes, and formic acid—opening new opportunities for biotechnology and value-added industries in the Northeast.
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