India’s first green methanol plant to use invasive Prosopis juliflora as feedstock

Key facts

• India’s first green methanol production plant is being established at the Deendayal Port Authority (DPA) in Kandla, Gujarat, to produce fuel for ocean-going ships.
• The plant will use the invasive shrub Prosopis juliflora, known locally as gando baval or vilayati keekar, as the primary biomass feedstock for methanol production.
• The project is being built by Pune-based Thermax Energy using gasification technology from Vadodara-based Ankur Scientific and will have a production capacity of five tonnes per day.
• The initiative aligns with the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) 2023 Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Strategy, which aims for net-zero emissions from international shipping by or around 2050.
• The Government of India offers a flat 30% subsidy for vessels propelled by green fuels, including methanol, ammonia, and hydrogen, under its amended shipbuilding financial assistance policy.