PM Modi to dedicate India's first bamboo-based bio-ethanol plant in Assam: Himanta

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will soon visit Numaligarh in Assam’s Golaghat district to dedicate to the nation India’s first bio-ethanol plant, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced 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 posted on social media platform X.

While the CM did not confirm the exact date of the PM’s visit, he had earlier indicated that Modi is expected to arrive in Assam on September 8 to attend the inauguration of the year-long birth centenary celebrations of Bharat Ratna Bhupen Hazarika.

Sarma visited the Numaligarh Refinery Ltd (NRL) site on Monday to review preparations ahead of the PM’s arrival and issued necessary instructions to officials to ensure the smooth conduct of the event. He also inaugurated the newly constructed Dhansiri township, developed by NRL for its employees.

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The Assam Bio Refinery, developed under Assam Bio Ethanol Private Ltd (ABEPL), marks a milestone in India’s green energy sector. ABEPL is a joint venture between Numaligarh Refinery Ltd and two Finnish technology firms — Fortum and Chempolis Oy.

This cutting-edge bio-refinery, built at a cost of ₹4,000 crore, is the first in India to produce fuel-grade ethanol from bamboo biomass. The plant is designed to process 300 KTPA (kilo tonnes per annum) of bamboo to produce 49 KTPA of ethanol, significantly boosting the region’s renewable energy capacity and opening up economic opportunities in bamboo cultivation and supply chains.

Officials hailed the project as a symbol of India’s commitment to clean energy, rural empowerment, and innovation-driven industrialisation in the Northeast.