Numaligarh, Assam: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday unveiled the world’s first bamboo-based second-generation ethanol facility at Numaligarh Refinery Ltd (NRL), describing it as a major stride in India’s shift to clean energy. Built at a cost of ₹5,000 crore, the unit is designed to turn bamboo into biofuel and other eco-friendly industrial products.
The integrated zero-waste plant will not only generate ethanol but also produce green furfural, green acetic acid, bio-coal, food-grade carbon dioxide, and 25 MW of renewable power. Energy specialists hailed the project as a pioneering development in sustainable fuel technology.
Emphasizing its local benefits, Modi said the initiative would open new markets for bamboo growers in Assam and the northeast, with nearly ₹200 crore expected to be spent every year on raw material procurement. “This single project will change the lives of thousands of people,” he noted.
Alongside, the Prime Minister laid the foundation of a ₹7,000 crore polypropylene unit, projected to reduce India’s polymer imports by 20 percent and save about USD 85 million annually in foreign exchange. Together, the two ventures represent investments exceeding ₹12,000 crore, promising large-scale job creation and supporting India’s net zero and Atmanirbhar Bharat objectives.
Union Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said the projects would make Assam and the northeast a hub for green energy and petrochemicals on the global stage.
Established in 1993, Numaligarh Refinery Ltd is a Miniratna Category-I CPSE, with Oil India Ltd holding a 70 percent stake, while the Government of Assam and Engineers India Limited own the rest.
