Approval for biomass biomethanol plant

The Government of Assam has approved a fiscal incentive package for the development of an industrial scale biomethanol facility at an estimated cost of $1.2 billion. Project developer Novel Biofuels is working in partnership with infrastructure company ACTUAL on the project, which will produce 1.4 million litres/day (1,100 t/d) of high-purity biomethanol from sustainably harvested bamboo sourced from Assam’s smallholder farming communities. It is expected to be commissioned by 2030, with site development and supply chain buildout commencing in 2026.

Assam and other provinces in the northeast of India are rich in bamboo, but harvested stumps (culms) are often left to decay and exacerbate seasonal forest fires. Collecting this resource and converting it into fuel solves this problem while generating biofuel. Bamboo is also among the fastest carbon-fixing plants on the planet, maturing in just three to five years.