Mission Biofuel India is seeking government approval to construct India’s first biodiesel refinery in the eastern coast state of Orissa, by the Bay of Bengal.
The first phase of the project is expected to cost Rs 350 crore (€55.8 million).
The company is focusing on seeds from the jatropha plant as feedstock.
The company is looking at wastelands around the ports at Paradip and Dhamra. Jatropha is already being grown in western parts of Orissa, including Bolangir.
Mission officials presented the plan to state government officials on 29 January.In September 2008, India’s cabinet approved a national policy on biofuels, mandating a 20% blend in petrol and diesel by 2017. The policy requires bioethanol and biodiesel derived from non-edible sources and be grown on non-farming land.