The poll-bound Punjab is going to get Second Generation (2G) Ethanol Bio-refinery as the Centre will lay its foundation stone on 25th December, 2016 at village Tarkhanwala, Bathinda. With an investment of nearly Rs 600 crore, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL), a Public Sector Undertaking, is setting up the project.
Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) leader and Union Minister of Food Processing Industries, Harsimarat Kaur Badal; Union Minister of State (I/C) Petroleum & Natural Gas, Dharmendra Pradhan, and Deputy Chief Minister of Punjab, Sukhbir Singh Badal will jointly lay the foundation stone.
According to Government’s statement, the production of Second Generation (2G) Ethanol from agricultural residues to provide additional sources of remuneration to farmers. It would further address the growing environmental concerns and support the Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) programme for achieving 10 percent Ethanol Blending in Petrol.
The Bathinda Bio-refinery will be utilising agriculture residues for production of 100 kilolitre per day or 3.20 crore litres per annum of ethanol which may meet the 26 percent of the ethanol blending requirement of the State. The proposed Bio-refinery will generate employment for about 1200 -1300 persons in the Biomass supply chain and generate an additional income of approximately Rs 20 crores per annum for the farmers through purchase of their agriculture residues.
Oil PSUs are planning to set up twelve 2G Ethanol Bio-refineries across 11 States such as Punjab, Haryana, UP, MP, Bihar, Assam, Odisha, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka and AP.
The estimated investment for the 12 Bio-refineries is Rs 10,000 crores. These Bio-refineries will produce around 35-40 crore litres of Ethanol annually.
Recently, in Petrotech-2016 on 07.12.2016, Oil PSUs also entered into 6 MoUs with Technology licensors and State Governments for setting up Bio-refineries in Dahej (Gujarat), Panipat (Haryana), Bina (MP), Bargarh (Odisha) and Bathinda (Punjab).
