Bamboo Bio Ethanol Plant In Assam To Be Fully Operational In March

19 Feb 2026 CW Team

A senior official of Assam Bio Ethanol Private Limited (ABEPL) said that trial production had yielded fuel grade ethanol with 99.7 per cent purity on September three, 2025 and that the first consignment had been supplied to Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL) on September nine, 2025. The official noted that the plant had been inaugurated by the prime minister on September 14, 2025 and that full commercial operations would begin within two weeks. The company was reported to be preparing for sustained production and quality assurance at full capacity.

Assam Bio Ethanol Private Limited is a joint venture of Numaligarh Refinery Limited, a Navaratna public sector undertaking, and Finnish firms Chempolis and Fortum. The project was established on the basis of research and trial work carried out by the Finland based partners who provided technology and process design for bamboo conversion. The use of bamboo chips as feedstock demonstrates an alternative value chain and points to potential for scaling second generation ethanol production using non food biomass.

Observers noted that second generation ethanol from non food resources offers an environmentally friendly option that can lower greenhouse gas emissions compared with fossil fuels and reduce competition with edible crops. Local sourcing of bamboo is expected to create economic opportunities in collection and preprocessing and to support employment in the region while supplying ethanol to refinery networks. Industry contacts said that the move to full capacity operation would mark a milestone for biofuel deployment in India and could encourage further investment in similar units.

The second generation (2G) bamboo based bio ethanol plant at Numaligarh in Golaghat district of Assam is set to become fully operational in March. The facility, described by partners as the world's first 2G bamboo based unit, will produce ethanol from non food farm waste and residue rather than edible crops. It will convert bamboo chips into fermentable sugars and then process those sugars through fermentation and distillation to yield fuel grade ethanol. The plant is intended to supply ethanol for blending and to reduce pressure on food stocks. A senior official of Assam Bio Ethanol Private Limited (ABEPL) said that trial production had yielded fuel grade ethanol with 99.7 per cent purity on September three, 2025 and that the first consignment had been supplied to Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL) on September nine, 2025. The official noted that the plant had been inaugurated by the prime minister on September 14, 2025 and that full commercial operations would begin within two weeks. The company was reported to be preparing for sustained production and quality assurance at full capacity. Assam Bio Ethanol Private Limited is a joint venture of Numaligarh Refinery Limited, a Navaratna public sector undertaking, and Finnish firms Chempolis and Fortum. The project was established on the basis of research and trial work carried out by the Finland based partners who provided technology and process design for bamboo conversion. The use of bamboo chips as feedstock demonstrates an alternative value chain and points to potential for scaling second generation ethanol production using non food biomass. Observers noted that second generation ethanol from non food resources offers an environmentally friendly option that can lower greenhouse gas emissions compared with fossil fuels and reduce competition with edible crops. Local sourcing of bamboo is expected to create economic opportunities in collection and preprocessing and to support employment in the region while supplying ethanol to refinery networks. Industry contacts said that the move to full capacity operation would mark a milestone for biofuel deployment in India and could encourage further investment in similar units.

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