Methanol-based fuel for Assam

In a first in India, Assam Petrochemicals Limited (APL) launched the methanol based cooking fuel project in Namrup on Friday, thus starting a revolutionary movement for people to shift to sustainable means of cost-effective and green fuel for cooking.

The project was launched by Dr V K Saraswat, Member, NITI Aayog, and Chairman, Methanol Apex Committee, at the company's campus in Assam's Namrup.

APL introduced the pilot project by distributing 500 burners and stoves, each fueled by a 1.2-litre canister of methanol.

"APL has taken a huge step towards reducing India's oil imports and tap into pollution-free methanol as fuel for cooking and transportation. It is apt that the project has begun with cooking fuel that mostly impacts women in India," V.K. Saraswat, Member, NITI Aayog, said before handing over the first few methanol stoves.

The company is considering rolling out commercial production after almost two months of monitoring the project from its launch at Namrup.

The new cooking fuel project is expected to be a game-changer for APL, India's first natural gas-based petrochemicals company, which has undertaken a Rs 1,337 crore expansion project to produce 600 tonnes of methanol and 325 tonnes of formaldehyde per day by September 2019.