Dibrugarh: Tarun Kapoor, advisor to the Prime Minister and former secretary of the ministry of petroleum and natural gas, recently conducted a comprehensive review of two of the most strategically significant energy projects in the northeast — the Numaligarh Refinery Expansion Project (NREP) and the Assam Bio-Ethanol Private Limited (ABEPL) plant.He visited Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL) on Friday (Apr 24).Following detailed site inspections of both projects, Kapoor also inaugurated the semi-regenerative reforming (SRR) unit and the distributed control system (DCS) in the diesel hydrotreater (DHT) unit at the refinery — state-of-the-art additions marking a significant milestone in NRL’s journey towards enhanced refining capacity and digital operational excellence.“These projects are of national importance and the govt is closely monitoring their progress. NRL is scripting a new chapter in India’s energy security and green fuel future,” Kapoor said.During the visit, NRL officials briefed Kapoor on the stabilisation phase underway at ABEPL and the ramp-up plans toward full-scale production.The NREP is a brownfield initiative aimed at tripling NRL’s refining capacity from 3 million metric tonnes per annum (MMTPA) to 9 MMTPA, with completion targeted for Dec 2026.
Around 85% of the overall work has been completed, with an estimated expenditure of Rs 27,601 crore so far. The project, however, has seen cost escalations, with NRL submitting a revised proposal of Rs 33,901 crore to the Centre, up from the originally approved Rs 28,026 crore, currently under active consideration of the Public Investment Board.The second project under review, ABEPL, is an equally groundbreaking venture. The Rs 4,930-crore facility, inaugurated by PM Narendra Modi in Sept 2025, is the world’s first commercial second-generation bioethanol plant using bamboo as feedstock, with a production capacity of 49,000 metric tonnes per annum of ethanol. The project is a joint venture of NRL, Fortum 3 BV, and Chempolis Oy of Finland. Besides ethanol, the plant will also annually produce 19,000 tonnes of furfural, 11,000 tonnes of acetic acid, 32,000 tonnes of liquid CO2, and 25 MW of green power.
