Guwahati, Dec 2 (IANS) Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi after the Centre accorded the prestigious Navratna status to Numaligarh Refinery Ltd (NRL), calling it a milestone moment for Assam’s oil and gas sector.
In a post on X, Sarma wrote, “I am grateful to Adarniya Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi ji for his faith in Assam’s oil & gas sector and his guidance in taking it forward. This milestone achievement would not have been possible without the unstinted support of Hon’ble Union Minister Shri @HardeepSPuri ji.”
Sarma said the upgrade reflects the central government’s continued confidence in NRL’s strategic role, particularly as the company leads some of the Northeast’s most ambitious energy and petrochemical initiatives.
The Chief Minister has in the past underscored the refinery’s importance in regional industrialisation, job creation and downstream economic activity, describing it as one of Assam’s most successful public-sector enterprises.
Complementing Sarma’s remarks, Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri earlier announced the development, saying he was “delighted and proud” that NRL had been granted Navratna status under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi.
“This recognises NRL’s strong performance and its ambitious growth path, from the ongoing NREP refinery expansion to the recently inaugurated ABEPL bamboo-based 2G bioethanol plant that is driving energy security and green growth from Assam and the North East,” Puri posted on X.
The Minister congratulated NRL, promoter Oil India Ltd, equity partner Engineers India Ltd and the Assam government, adding that the company’s steady rise reflects the Centre’s push for energy self-reliance and green-transition pathways.
The refinery’s capacity expansion under the Numaligarh Refinery Expansion Project (NREP), from 3 to 9 MMTPA, is one of the largest industrial undertakings in the Northeast, involving multi-sectoral investments in pipelines, petrochemicals and logistics.
The recent commissioning of the bamboo-based 2G bioethanol plant by Assam Bio-Refinery and India’s first-of-its-kind commercial-scale facility has been widely regarded as a breakthrough in the country’s renewable fuel ecosystem.
The project positions Assam as a key contributor to the national biofuel roadmap while providing a new income stream for bamboo cultivators across the region.
With the Navratna upgrade, NRL joins a select group of high-performing public-sector enterprises with enhanced financial autonomy and investment flexibility — a move expected to accelerate project execution and strengthen Assam’s position as an energy hub in the Northeast.
–IANS
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