India to generate fuel from Crop Waste with 900-crore 2G Ethanol Plant

On the occasion of World Biofuel Day today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will officially dedicate a 900-crore ethanol plant at the Panipat Refinery of the Indian Oil Corporation.

The IOC's technical experts believe that the second generation (2G) ethanol plant, which would produce roughly 3 crore litres of ethanol yearly by using about 2 lakh tonnes of crop waste, will be a game-changer in the fight against stubble burning.

Hundreds of people were putting in a lot of effort in order to have the plant up and running on the day of the inauguration.

The initiative, which is based on state-of-the-art indigenous technology, will open a new chapter in India's waste-to-wealth efforts by helping to address the issue of stubble burning, which annually suffocates the National Capital Region, particularly Delhi.

The plant, according to the technical experts, will transform rice straw into ethanol, a green fuel, preventing people from burning stubble while also giving them money back for their agricultural waste.
“This project not only promotes the use of environment-friendly fuel but also aids in the fulfillment of the government’s goal of doubling farmers’ income, claimed former environment minister Prakash Javadekar while announcing the plant in 2019.

The project will provide direct employment to people involved in the plant operation and indirect employment will be generated in the supply chain for rice straw cutting, handling, storage, etc.

The farmers in Panipat, Karnal, Jind, Sonepat, and Kaithal will be able to sell their agricultural waste and earn extra money due to this, according to the officials managing the plant. To facilitate farmers' collection of agricultural waste, 12 collection centres will be constructed in Panipat and Karnal.