MALKANGIRI: Uttam Kumar Mallick, a young entrepreneur from Sonali village in MPV-69 under Podia block here has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Meera Clean Fuels Limited (MCL), a green initiative of Union MSME Ministry, to set up a bio-fuel plant in at Gorakhpalli village in Motu tehsil at a cost of `30 crore.
As per the agreement, Uttam will grow Napier grass, the primary raw material for bio-fuel, on his 30-acre land in the village. The organic Napier grass will be fed into an ROG well and treated using micro-organisms to produce top quality compressed Natural Gas (m-CNG) after processing it at the plant. The product will be made through direct treatment or as by-products of pre-processed biomass and waste obtained from MCL’s villages project.
Later, the gas will be compressed at high pressure and supplied through pipeline to different locations. mCNG is an upgraded version of Compressed Bio Gas, said Uttam, adding machinery for the plant will be procured from a German company by MCL. Napier grass will be ready after three months of cultivation. The plant will produce around 10 tonne CNG and 15 tonne organic fertiliser a day. The CNG will be supplied across Malkangiri and the surplus sent to other districts of Odisha, Uttam said.
Around 10,000 farmers of the district will be enrolled as members of MCL’s Farmer Producer Organisation (MPO). This apart, 1,500-2,000 youths will be given jobs as part of the project. Environmentalist Santosh Kumar Sahu said the land in Koraput, Nabarangpur and Rayagada too is suitable for for Napier grass cultivation and MCL must consider at least two more such projects in the districts.