SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy | SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
Institutions: Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas | Ministry of New & Renewable Energy | Government of Assam
Prime Minister has inaugurated a bioethanol plant at Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL), Golaghat, Assam, and laid the foundation stone for a polypropylene plant there. The bioethanol plant will use bamboo as feedstock; the government has committed to supporting bamboo cultivation among farmers and establishing bamboo chipping units nearby. Expenditure of approx. ₹200 crore annually has been earmarked for this input sector. The PM emphasized Assam’s role in energy security, noting India’s push toward reducing dependence on fossil fuels, alongside growing capacities in clean energy. The polypropylene unit is expected to strengthen local manufacturing under the “Make in Assam / Make in India” initiatives, adding value in the petrochemical sector and creating jobs. These projects are part of a broader ₹18,000 crore package allocated for development in Assam.
These developments reflect India's strategy of blending clean energy goals with industrial expansion, especially in the biofuel and petrochemical sectors. They have implications for policy in feedstock supply chains (bamboo cultivation), regulation of alternative fuels and bioethanol blending mandates, local industrial ecosystem development, and energy security. The establishments are likely to affect state-level infrastructure, employment, and manufacturing capacity in Assam.
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders:
How will policy design ensure sustainable supply chains (including land, labor, and environmental impact) for bamboo bioethanol, and how will the polypropylene plant integrate with national chemical and petrochemical regulation to balance industrial growth with ecological safeguards?
Follow the full news here: https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2166529