Lok Sabha Question No. 1939 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-07-31
Subject: Production of Bio-fuel in Numaligarh Refinery Limited
Ministry: PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS
Asked by: Shri Kamakhya Prasad Tasa

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No.1939

July, 2025

## PRODUCTION OF BIO-FUEL IN NUMALIGARH REFINERY LIMITED

## 1939.  SHRI KAMAKHYA PRASAD TASA:

## पेĚोͧलयम और Ĥाक ृ Ǔतक गैस मंğी

Will the Minister of PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  any  initiative  has  been  taken  by  the  Government  to  increase  the  productivity  of biofuel in the country and if so, the details thereof;
- (b)  the total amount invested in the biofuel project of Numaligarh Refinery Limited;
- (c)  the name of the agency implementing the project of Numaligarh Refinery Limited;
- (d)  the  date  on  which  the  said  project  was  initiated  and  the  production  is  likely  to  be commenced;
- (e) the total cost of the project along with its present cost; and
- (f) the details of employments likely to be generated under this project?

## ANSWER

## पेĚोͧलयम और Ĥाक ृ Ǔतक गैस मंğालय मɅ राÏयमंğी ( Įी सुरेश गोपी )

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF PETROLEUM & NATURAL GAS (SHRI SURESH GOPI)

(a):  The  Government, under the National Policy on Biofuels, have been promoting blending of ethanol in petrol under the Ethanol Blended Petrol  (EBP) Programme with multiple objectives, which inter-alia includes environmental sustainability, reduction of import dependence on crude oil, while  saving foreign exchange  and  to  promote  domestic  agriculture  sector.  Further, Government have launched SATAT (Sustainable Alternative Towards Affordable Transportation) initiative across the country, with the aim of establishing an ecosystem for production and use of compressed  biogas  (CBG)  from  various  waste/  bio-mass  sources  including  agri-residue.  Under this  initiative  CBG  plants  are  set  up  across  the  country,  based  on  the  techno-commercial feasibility and feed stock availability.

Government, since 2014, have taken several measures to increase biofuel production across the country which inter-alia includes expansion of feedstock for production of ethanol, administered price mechanism for procurement of sugarcane based ethanol under the Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP)  Programme,  lowered  GST  rate  to  5%  on  ethanol  for  EBP  Programme,  Ethanol  Interest Subvention Schemes (EISS), for ethanol production from molasses as well as grains, a dedicated subvention scheme for Cooperative Sugar Mills to convert existing sugarcane-based distilleries into multi-feedstock plants for ethanol production, Long Term Offtake Agreements (LTOAs) by Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) with Dedicated Ethanol Plants (DEPs), etc.

Government have also notified the 'Pradhan Mantri JI-VAN (Jaiv Indhan - Vatavaran Anukool fasal awashesh Nivaran) Yojana' to provide financial support for setting up Advanced Biofuels projects in the country using lignocellulosic biomass and other renewable feedstock.

(b)  to  (f):  Numaligarh  Refinery  Limited  (NRL)  is  setting  up  a  2G  bamboo  based  bio-refinery project  in  the  state  of  Assam  through  a  joint  venture  company,  Assam  Bio-Ethanol  Private Limited (ABEPL). The project was approved in June, 2020 with a cost of Rs.  1750 crore and implemented through Engineers India Limited (EIL). The revised cost of project is Rs. 4930 crore against  which an expenditure of Rs. 4200 crore has been incurred so far. The project has been mechanically completed and currently under advanced stage of commissioning. The total number of employment envisaged under this project is as under:

| Description        |   Direct Employment (Nos.) |   Indirect Employment (Nos.) |   Total (Nos.) |
|--------------------|----------------------------|------------------------------|----------------|
| Construction Phase |                         30 |                         2000 |           2030 |
| Operation Phase    |                        150 |                        50000 |          50150 |

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