Numaligarh (Assam): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday inaugurated India’s first second-generation ethanol plant at the Numaligarh Refinery Ltd in Assam, marking a global milestone in bamboo-based green fuel production. The ₹5,000 crore unit, the first of its kind worldwide, will produce ethanol entirely from bamboo, a resource grown in abundance across the northeast.
The zero-waste facility is designed to convert bamboo into high-value industrial chemicals such as green furfural and green acetic acid, while also generating bio-coal, food-grade carbon dioxide, and 25 MW of green electricity. Experts described it as a breakthrough in sustainable energy.
Modi said the project will create new opportunities for farmers in Assam by ensuring government support for bamboo cultivation and procurement, with an estimated ₹200 crore spent annually in the region. “Thousands of people here will benefit from this one plant,” he said.
The Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone for a ₹7,000 crore polypropylene plant that will reduce India’s import dependence by 20 percent and save around USD 85 million in foreign exchange each year. Together, the two projects are expected to generate significant employment and strengthen India’s push toward net zero and Atmanirbhar Bharat.
Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said the combined investment of over ₹12,000 crore places Assam and the northeast at the forefront of the global green energy and petrochemical landscape.
Numaligarh Refinery Ltd, incorporated in 1993, is a Miniratna Category-I CPSE controlled by Oil India Ltd, which holds a majority stake of nearly 70 percent. The Government of Assam and Engineers India Limited own the remaining shares.
