India opens world’s first commercial bamboo-based bioethanol plant in Assam, boosting rural income and green energy.

India’s Assam Bio Ethanol Pvt Ltd has launched the world’s first commercial second-generation bioethanol plant using bamboo, located in Numaligarh, Assam. The Rs 4,930-crore facility, a joint venture with Finnish firms, has an annual capacity of 49,000 metric tonnes of ethanol and produces green power, furfural, acetic acid, and liquid CO2. It aims to source 5 lakh tonnes of bamboo yearly from over 30,000 farmers across four northeastern states, with 4,200 farmers already registered and Rs 2.4 crore paid directly. The plant, designed as zero-waste and carbon-neutral, uses bamboo chips from non-agricultural land, including tea gardens, and is expected to boost rural income by Rs 200 crore annually.