Chemopolis creates JV with Fortum and NRL for Indian bamboo biorefinery

In Finland, biorefining technology company Chempolis, the Finnish energy company Fortum, and Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL), a state-owned Indian oil company, have formed a joint venture to construct a biorefinery in the state of Assam in Northeast India.

The joint venture will own the biorefinery. Construction work will begin in the autumn of 2018, with the target date for beginning operations at the site set for the year 2020. The total investment in the new biorefinery is 160 million euros, of which 30 percent is being funded through equity and 70 percent through loans provided by Indian banks. The investment includes the construction of the entire refinery, from the handling of raw materials to the production of final products, as well as a biopower plant.

The biorefinery will use 300,000 tons of bamboo annually from the vast natural and cultivated bamboo reserves of Northeast India. The plant will produce annually 60 million liters of bioethanol, 19,000 tons of furfural, 11,000 tons of acetic acid, and 144 gigawatt hours of green energy.

Chempolis is the licensor of the plant’s advanced technology and is providing technical expertise. Fortum’s investment in the joint venture will expand its activities in India to include bio-based products. NRL, which owns 50% of the joint venture, is responsible for the facility’s operations. Fortum’s share of ownership in the joint venture is 28%, and Chempolis’s share is 22%.