The ambitious 2G bio-refinery project at Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL), scheduled for commissioning next month, now faces potential delays due to an escalating exodus of migrant workers triggered by rising anti-migrant sentiments in Upper Assam.
As these sentiments intensify, many migrant laborers have already left the region, causing widespread concern among the remaining workforce and NRL management, who are now urgently seeking confidence-building measures to prevent further disruptions.
According to a source close to the NRL management, approximately 8,000 labourers have been working tirelessly to bring the refinery online. Of these, 2,600 workers are from Golaghat district, while the rest hail from Lower and Central Assam. The exodus of 160 laborers has particularly heightened the sense of panic, despite labour contractors' efforts to reassure the workforce.
The refinery, designed to produce 49,000 metric tonnes of bioethanol annually from bamboo biomass, reached mechanical completion in March 2024. This project is especially significant as it marks a pioneering effort in using bamboo as a feedstock—a first-of-its-kind initiative globally. However, despite nearing full operational status with only a few residual tasks remaining, the project now faces uncertainty.
The bio-refinery, which will require around 300,000 metric tonnes of dry bamboo annually, has been heralded as a model for sustainable energy production in India. The project has also secured Viability Gap Funding (VGF) of approximately Rs. 150 crore from the Government of India. Beyond bioethanol, the refinery is expected to produce valuable by-products such as furfural and acetic acid, which are essential to the project's economic viability.
However, the ongoing anti-migrant agitation not only threatens the NRL project but also jeopardizes other major infrastructure initiatives in Upper Assam that rely heavily on the migrant labour force. The situation demands urgent intervention to prevent further disruption and to ensure the timely completion of these critical projects.
