The purpose behind setting up the Second Generation (2G) bio-refinery plant at the district being set up by the PSU,  Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) for utilisation of paddy stubble for ethanol production has already started yielding results: Beginning September 15 to November 1 this year, total paddy stubble burning cases in Bathinda in Punjab have come down to 294 as against 880 in 2022.

An official from the Union Environment Ministry said that a project which envisaged investment of `1,400 crore has already commenced procurement of biomass and it is expected to accelerate in the next few days.

“The HPCL has been coordinating with the State Government of Punjab, District Administration and Punjab Energy Development Agency (PEDA) to streamline and resolve issues relating to procurement. Agreements have been established with Self Help Groups (SHGs) of Bathinda and nearby areas for paddy straw procurement. More than 23,000 MT of paddy straw has already been aggregated,” said the official.

The HPCL has chalked out a huge plans aiming to procure approximately 1 Lakh tones biomass in this season for use as feedstock for the upcoming 2G ethanol plant which is expected to be commissioned by December-end.

 “The 2G bio-refinery is designed for utilization of paddy straw for production of ethanol for blending with petrol under the Ethanol Blending Program of the Central Government,” he said, adding that the Commission is monitoring its progress regularly.

The Commission had also visited the plant premises in Bathinda and reviewed the progress with CMD, HPCL and District Administration, Bathinda.

The designed production capacity of this 2G ethanol plant is 100 Kilo Litre (KL) Ethanol/ day and for this purpose 570 MT of paddy straw would be utilized per day (2,00,000 MT annually), when the plant operates at its full capacity, said the official.

This plant will reduce the instances of paddy straw burning in Punjab, especially in the Bathinda district, significantly this year as well as in the years to come, he added.

The HPCL project is part of the Government’s efforts to encourage production of second generation (2G) ethanol from agricultural residues to provide an additional source of income to farmers and address the growing environmental concerns due to stubble burning.