Guwahati, Sep 26 Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday highlighted the state’s pioneering role in India’s oil and petroleum sector and its growing contribution to the country’s green-energy initiatives.
Sarma was speaking after laying the foundation stone for an e-methanol production project at Kandla in Gujarat along with his counterpart Bhupendra Patel and Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal, a statement issued by the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) said.
The Rs 2,300-crore project is a joint initiative of Assam Petro-Chemicals Limited (APCL) and the Deendayal Port Authority and will have a production capacity of 150 tonnes per day.
The project also marks a significant expansion of Assam’s industrial footprint and reflects the capabilities and growing role of the state’s public sector enterprises in emerging areas of the national green economy, the CMO release said.
Highlighting Assam’s historic contribution to India’s energy sector, Sarma said the state has played a pioneering role in the country’s oil and petroleum industry.
He pointed out that Asia’s first mechanically drilled oil well was established at Makum in Assam in 1867, while India’s first oil refinery was commissioned at Digboi in 1901.
He said Assam continues to make an important contribution to the country’s oil and natural gas sector and also possesses considerable experience in methanol production.
The APCL at Namrup has a methanol production capacity of up to 500 tonnes per day, providing the state with valuable expertise in the sector.
Stating that Sonowal had extended the invitation to APCL to partner in the Kandla e-methanol project, Sarma said Assam readily accepted the opportunity, considering it a matter of pride for the state to contribute to one of the country’s major green-fuel initiatives.
The chief minister said the project would contribute significantly to India’s efforts to expand the use of green fuels.
He recalled Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s commitment to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2070, announced at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow in 2021.
In keeping with the PM’s vision, India has witnessed the emergence of a new movement towards green fuels and clean energy, and Gujarat is leading in this transition through initiatives in solar power, green hydrogen and other forms of clean energy, Sarma said.
He said it is heartening that the shipping sector is also being brought within the ambit of this green transition.
In this context, the project at Kandla assumes particular significance as the methanol produced is envisaged to be used as a marine fuel for ships operating from the port to international destinations.
Sarma expressed hope that similar green-fuel projects would be developed at other major ports across the country in the coming years, further strengthening India’s transition towards cleaner and more sustainable maritime transportation.
The chief minister also highlighted the deep historical and contemporary ties between Assam and Gujarat.
He expressed his gratitude to his Gujarat counterpart as well as Sonowal, who is also a former Assam CM, for facilitating the state’s participation in the project and for strengthening the industrial partnership between the two states, the CMO release added.
(PTI News)
