India’s First Port-Based E-Methanol Plant to Come Up at Kandla

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

Gandhidham: India is set to get its first port-based e-methanol production facility, with the foundation stone for a ₹2,300-crore project laid at Deendayal Port Authority (DPA) in Kandla on Saturday.

Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma jointly laid the foundation stone for the facility.

The plant will produce 150 tonnes of e-methanol per day using renewable energy, water and biogenic carbon dioxide. The green fuel is intended to support cleaner shipping and will be supplied to vessels operating along the busy Asia-Europe trade corridor.

The project is being developed jointly by DPA and Assam Petro-Chemicals Ltd (APCL), with the investment planned in two phases.

The first phase, involving 50 tonnes per day of capacity, will cost ₹1,200 crore and is targeted for completion by January 2027. The second phase, adding another 100 tonnes per day, will involve ₹1,100 crore and is scheduled for March 2027.

The project is expected to generate more than 3,500 direct and indirect jobs and support a wider green-energy ecosystem covering transportation, storage and supply.

According to the government, the facility is expected to produce e-methanol at around $750 per tonne, compared with an estimated global cost of $1,300 per tonne.

Speaking at the event, Sarbananda Sonowal said the project would strengthen India’s role in supplying clean fuel to the global maritime sector. He said Kandla could emerge as a major green-fuel hub for international shipping.

Bhupendra Patel said Gujarat’s renewable-energy potential and coastline could help establish the state as a gateway for India’s green-energy exports.

Himanta Biswa Sarma said the participation of Assam Petro-Chemicals in the project reflected cooperation between the Northeast and western India in building India’s clean-energy economy.

The project is aligned with India’s broader target of achieving net-zero emissions by 2070 and expanding domestic capabilities in clean energy and maritime infrastructure.

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Coal smuggling case: Cash, gold seized by ED during raids in Bengal, Jharkhand

Kolkata, Nov 21 (IANS) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials conducting raids and search operations at different places in West Bengal and Jharkhand since Friday morning have recovered huge amounts of cash and gold from some of these locations.

Sources aware of the development said that of the 25 locations in West Bengal and Jharkhand where the raids and search operations are being conducted, huge amounts of unaccounted cash and gold had been recovered from three places, all of which are in West Bengal.

However, the ED officials have yet to disclose the exact locations of the three places from where the cash and gold have been recovered.

Sources said that counting of the unaccounted cash to the tune of Rs 1 crore has already been completed, with the process still on at the time of the filing of the report. The ED officials have also arranged for the valuation of seized gold, mainly in the form of ornaments.

The exact value of the total recovery on Friday will be known later in the day, after counting of the currencies, and the valuation of the gold will be completed.

The places in West Bengal where the raid and search operations are conducted include the office and residence of a high-profile contractor of Coal India Limited’s subsidiary Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL) at the coal belt of Asansol in the West Burdwan district of West Bengal.

Residences of three other businessmen, all linked to the coal trade, two at Salt Lake on the northern outskirts of Kolkata and one at Salap Crossing in Kolkata-adjacent Howrah district, are also being raided by the central investigating agency officials.

The ED and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) have been conducting parallel probes in the multi-crore coal smuggling case. Recently, the CBI informed the court that the investigation in the matter will be wound up soon.

The current raids by the ED officials at multiple locations in West Bengal and Jharkhand come just a few days after the CBI’s submission at the court on this count.

–IANS

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K’taka Minister meets Ashwini Vaishnaw, seeks approval for Vande Bharat Sleeper Express train

Bengaluru, Feb 8 (IANS) Karnataka Infrastructure Development Minister M.B. Patil has submitted representations to Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, seeking approval for a Vande Bharat Sleeper Express train from Bengaluru to Vijayapura, a high-speed rail corridor between Bengaluru and Mumbai, and a daily special train service on the Bengaluru-Vijayapura route.

After launching an electronics manufacturing facility in the Hi-Tech Hardware Park at Bagalur on Saturday, the Minister met Vaishnaw at the venue and handed over the representations. The Railway Minister assured him that the proposals would be examined positively.

Describing Bengaluru as the country’s technology capital and Mumbai as its financial capital, Patil said it was essential to connect the two cities through an efficient and modern transport system. He urged that the high-speed rail corridor announced between Mumbai and Pune be extended up to Bengaluru. Vaishnaw responded positively to this request as well.

The State Minister pointed out that the distance between Bengaluru and Vijayapura is around 530 km and that the current train journey takes nearly 15 to 16 hours. He said this travel time should be reduced to about 10 hours. To achieve this, he suggested limiting halts between Bengaluru and Hubballi and operating trains via the Hubballi and Gadag bypasses. He also sought the introduction of a Vande Bharat Express service on this route.

Patil further requested the introduction of a daily special train service between Bengaluru and Vijayapura. In his representation, he stated that all three proposed services would bring significant social, industrial and economic benefits to several districts of central and north Karnataka. According to Patil, the Railway Minister responded positively to all three demands.

Senior railway officials, including South Western Railway General Manager Ajay Sharma, were present during the meeting.

Earlier, speaking after the inauguration of the manufacturing facility, Minister Patil said the new unit marked a significant strengthening of India’s capability to design, build and deliver high-reliability electronics for mission-critical applications.

He said the facility had been purpose-built to cater to critical sectors such as defence, aerospace and automotive electronics, where quality, precision and reliability are non-negotiable. With advanced manufacturing lines, clean rooms and a world-class environmental stress-testing laboratory, the unit positions itself at the high-value end of electronics manufacturing, he added.

Patil also pointed out that the state is investing over Rs 4,000 crore to extend assured Cauvery water supply to industrial areas in and around Bengaluru. This, he said, is in addition to sustained investments in roads, power and logistics to ensure long-term reliability for manufacturing units.

–IANS

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