India: Biofuel Production
Bamboo as a Feedstock for Indian Biorefinery
| Editor: Alexander Stark
India's Numaligarh Refinery (NRL) signed a MoU with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (Unido) for inclusive and sustainable bamboo supply chain development for its upcoming biorefinery in Numaligarh, Assam.
New Delhi/India — Under the MoU, Unido agreed to collaborate closely with the oil refinery on matters of mutual interest in order to achieve the common objectives of sustainable and efficient bamboo feedstock harvesting. Additionally the partners intend to develop a collection and distribution value chain including regeneration of quality bamboo stock, develop capacities of the value chain actors as well as government institutions to effectively participate in the development of the bamboo sector and demonstrate viable technologies for primary processing of bamboo at cluster level. Furthermore, the MoU aims at expanding access of youths to job-oriented and demand-driven skills focusing on industrial skills development within the bamboo value chain.
Finland based Chempolis will be the technology partner for the NRL Bio-Refinery. Further partners are Fortum, a clean-energy company focusing on the Nordic and Baltic countries, Poland, Russia and India and Finnfund, a Finnish development fund company.
The MoU was signed in New Delhi by Unido representative in India Mr. René Van Berkel, and Senior Chief General Manager (Marketing & Business Development) NRL Mr.Bruno Ekka in presence of MD NRL, Mr. P. Padmanabhan and other senior Officials of NRL and Unido.
Unido will be working with the identified agencies in the Indian states where bamboo will be sourced from the communities by setting up micro and mini bamboo processing centers and adding value to the supply chain with other bamboo industry players.
