Amit Shah to inaugurate India’s first ‘Integrated 1G–2G Ethanol Plant’ in Odisha

Union Minister for Home and Cooperatives Amit Shah will inaugurate Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited’s (BPCL) advanced integrated bio-ethanol refinery in Bargarh district of Odisha. Amit Shah will be on two-day visit to western Odisha on July 4and 5.

Bargarh MP Pradeep Purohit has informed that Amit Shah will arrive in Odisha on July 4 and proceed directly to the ethanol refinery site at Baulsingha village. He will be inaugurating the Rs 1,775 crore ethanol project. Following the ceremony, he will travel to Sambalpur to attend a series of engagements, including a public meeting, before staying overnight in the city. He is expected to return on July 5 after concluding further official programmes.

BPCL’s Baragada Ethanol Refinery

The BPCL facility is the first of its kind in India to integrate both first-generation (1G) and second-generation (2G) ethanol production technologies at a single site. The refinery has a total production capacity of 200 kilolitres per day, with 100 KLPD derived from grain-based 1G processes and an equal capacity from 2G lignocellulosic technology that utilises rice straw as feedstock.

Developed under the Pradhan Mantri JI-VAN Yojana, the project is aligned with the government’s target of achieving 20 per cent ethanol blending (E20) in petrol. By converting agricultural residues into fuel-grade ethanol, the plant is expected to play a crucial role in reducing air pollution caused by stubble burning, while also contributing to rural employment generation and the promotion of sustainable energy solutions.

BPCL has already commenced dispatch of ethanol from the 1G unit earlier this year, and the commissioning of the 2G unit marks a significant milestone in strengthening Odisha’s growing ethanol ecosystem.

Earlier Centre had informed that the integrated ethanol project in Bargarh will generate direct and indirect employment, foster local entrepreneurship, and create demand for raw materials, machinery parts, and other locally sourced goods and services. The plant is listed under the “Commercial” category.

BPCL has also won the National Project Excellence Award (NPEA) 2025 in the “One of its Kind” category for pioneering Bargarh Ethanol Refinery. Last year, government said that as many as 29 ethanol projects in Odisha had received approval under the Ethanol Interest Subvention Scheme by the Department of Food and Public Distribution (DFPD).