Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma have laid the foundation stone for India’s first port-based e-methanol plant at Deendayal Port Authority in Kandla.
India has taken a major step towards becoming a green energy exporter with the laying of the foundation stone for the country’s first port-based e-methanol plant at Deendayal Port Authority in Kandla, Gandhidham, Gujarat. The ceremony was attended by Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. The Rs2,300 crore plant, a joint initiative of Deendayal Port Authority and Namrup-based Assam Petro-Chemicals Limited, will produce 150 tonnes of e-methanol per day using renewable power, water and biogenic CO2, supplying green fuel to vessels on the Asia-Europe International Trade Corridor. The capital contribution stands at a ratio of 76:24 between DPA and APCL, with DPA contributing equity capital of Rs.567.32 crore, 75 acres of land, desalinated water and renewable energy in the form of green hydrogen.
The plant will be installed in phases, with Phase I adding 50 tonnes per day at an investment of Rs1,200 crore, targeted for completion by January 2027, and Phase II adding a further 100 tonnes per day at an investment of Rs1,100 crore, targeted for March 2027. The plant is expected to produce green methanol at USD 750 per tonne, compared to a global rate of USD 1,300 per tonne, and is expected to create more than 3,500 direct and indirect jobs. Bhupendra Patel said the plant would turn Gujarat’s renewable strength into an export and make the state’s coast a gateway for India’s green energy to the world. Sonowal said Kandla would become a green fuel hub on the Singapore-Rotterdam route and that the plant was a model for every major port in the country. Himanta Biswa Sarma said the project, driven by Assam Petro-Chemicals, proved that the Northeast would power India’s clean energy future.
