GS 3 – ENVIRONMENT
Context
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated India’s first bamboo-based bioethanol plant in Golaghat district, Assam.
- This facility is billed as the world’s first green bamboo bioethanol plant.
- Aims to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and promote clean energy under the vision of Viksit Bharat.
Key Details
- Location: Numaligarh Refinery Plant, Golaghat, Assam.
- Project Cost:
- Ethanol plant: ₹5,000 crore
- Polypropylene plant: ₹7,230 crore (foundation stone laid on the same day)
- Significance:
- “Zero-waste” facility, producing ethanol entirely from green bamboo.
- Annual requirement of 5 lakh tonnes of bamboo, sourced from four Northeastern states:
- Arunachal Pradesh
- Assam
- Nagaland
- Mizoram
Production Capacity and Outputs
- Annual ethanol production: 48,000 tonnes.
- By-products:
- 11,000 tonnes of acetic acid
- 19,000 tonnes of furfural
- 31,000 tonnes of food-grade liquid carbon dioxide
Benefits
- Energy Security
- Reduces India’s import dependence for energy.
- Supports Atmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India).
- Rural Economy Boost
- Generates income for local farmers and tribal communities through bamboo cultivation and supply.
- Environmental Sustainability
- Promotes clean, renewable energy.
- Reduces carbon emissions compared to fossil fuels.
- Industrial Growth
- Enhances petroleum and petrochemical production capacities in Assam.
- Supports India’s green hydrogen and biofuel mission.
Government Perspective
- PM Modi emphasized the importance of:
- Energy diversification, including solar, hydrocarbon exploration, and ethanol production.
- Transforming Assam into a major energy hub.
- Criticized past policies penalizing bamboo cutting, highlighting that the new policy encourages bamboo cultivation.