Guwahati: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Numaligarh in Assam’s Golaghat district to inaugurate India’s first bio-ethanol plant at Numaligarh Refinery, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Monday.
”Ushering in a dawn of industrial development in Assam. Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi ji will visit Numaligarh to dedicate the nation’s first Bio Ethanol plant,” Sarma said in a post on X.
Though the CM did not share the date of Modi’s visit, Sarma had earlier said that the prime minister was scheduled to arrive in Assam on September 8 to participate in the inauguration of the year-long birth centenary celebration of Bharat Ratna Bhupen Hazarika.
Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s proposed visit to the state, CM Sarma on Monday visited the refinery at Golaghat district and took stock of the progress of work.
“Visited the NRL site today to take stock of the preparations and issued necessary instructions,” he said.
Sarma also held a review meeting with NRL functionaries, ministers, MP and MLAs and took note of the progress of the bamboo-based ethanol plant and the progress of the expansion of NRL.
The chief minister also inaugurated NRL’s newly constructed Dhansiri Nagar township constructed for the refinery staff.
Assam Bio Ethanol Private Ltd (ABEPL) is the first bio-refinery to produce fuel grade ethanol from bamboo biomass, and has been formed as a joint venture company between NRL and two Finnish companies – Fortum and Chempolis Oy.
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The bio-refinery, being built at an estimated cost of Rs 4,000 crore, will have a production capacity of 49 KTPA ethanol, using 300 KTPA bamboo as feedstock.