Godavari Biorefineries commissions grain-based distillery in Karnataka

Godavari Biorefineries Ltd has commissioned a new corn and grain-based distillery at its Sameerwadi facility bolstering ethanol production, the company said in a regulatory filing to stock exchanges. The information has been shared under Regulation 30 of the SEBI Regulations, 2015.

The addition enhances the unit’s distillation capacity by 200 kilolitres per day (KLPD), taking forward the expansion of the Sameerwadi complex. The Godavari Biorefineries facility already houses a sugarcane juice and syrup-based distillery with an installed capacity of 600 KLPD, which is currently operating at about 41 per cent utilisation.

The grain-based distillery of Godavari Biorefineries has been developed at an estimated investment of around Rs 130 crore. The project has been financed through a mix of internal accruals and debt, in line with the company’s capital allocation strategy.

With the commissioning of the new unit, the Sameerwadi facility will now have dual-feedstock capability, allowing ethanol production from both sugarcane and grain. The company said this flexibility is expected to improve operational resilience, particularly in the face of climate-related variability affecting sugarcane availability.

Godavari Biorefineries also mentioned that the expanded capacity would support its efforts to cater to the growing demand for ethanol, driven by India’s ethanol blending programme, and strengthen its position in the domestic biofuels market.

Earlier in December 2024, Godavari Biorefineries had signed a licensing agreement with Catalyxx Inc. to convert ethanol into biobutanol and other higher alcohols.