India’s first port-based e-methanol project at Kandla aims to promote green fuel and sustainable maritime transport, with Assam Petro-Chemicals Limited as a partner. Sarbananda Sonowal said the initiative will strengthen Northeast India’s role in the country’s clean-energy transition.
With the aim of promoting green fuel production and making maritime transportation more environmentally sustainable, the foundation stone for the country’s first port-based e-methanol production project was laid at Kandla in Gujarat on Saturday.
The foundation stone for the project was laid at Kandla Port of Deendayal Port Authority by Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal, and Assam Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma.
Speaking on the occasion, Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said that India’s maritime strength is steadily establishing a new position in the world. He said that besides building its own ships and producing containers, India will now also supply green fuel to ships across the world. “India is now emerging as a leading maritime power in the world; now India will power the world’s ships with green energy,” Sonowal said.
The Union Minister particularly highlighted the role of the Northeast in this initiative. He said Assam Petro-Chemicals Limited, based in Namrup, Assam, is one of the partners in the project. The initiative connecting Namrup with Kandla demonstrates that the Northeast is emerging as one of the key driving forces behind India’s clean-energy future, he said.
According to Sonowal, Assam can emerge as an important hub for green energy by harnessing the Brahmaputra, its vast hydropower potential and abundant natural resources. The project, being developed at an estimated cost of around Rs. 2,300 crore, is planned to produce 150 tonnes of e-methanol per day.
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The green fuel, produced using renewable energy, water and biogenic carbon dioxide, will be supplied to ships operating on the Asia-Europe international trade route. The Union Minister said the project will contribute to achieving Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s target of net-zero emissions by 2070, besides advancing the objectives of Atmanirbhar Bharat and Viksit Bharat 2047.
