In what a major step towards tackling the menace of wheat and paddy straw burning in Punjab, the State government on Thursday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for setting up a bio-ethanol refinery.
The MoU was inked with a consortium of Beta Renewables, Novozymes and CVC India Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd. for an estimated project worth Rs. 950 crore, during the Progressive Punjab Investor Summit, 2015.
Straw burning a menace
Punjab’s Renewable Energy Minister Bikram Singh Majithia said the bio-refinery could solve the chronic problem of straw burning, besides helping the farmers who would be paid for the agro-based produce. It would also help in containing the loss of fertility and damage to environment, the Minister and industry players at the summit said.
Solar plants
During the summit, 12 other MoUs worth Rs. 21,305 crore were also signed. These include 300 MW solar plant and 150 MW solar plant with Neuron Power Solutions Pvt. Ltd., Biomass Power Plant by Sukhbir Agro Energy Ltd., 100 MW waste-to-energy projects by AG Dauters Consulting Pvt. Ltd., 100 MW power generation unit by Navrattan Group, Co-Generation power plant by Indian Sucrose Ltd. and 50 MW solar power plant by Imperial Solution Pvt. Ltd.
