Norwegian delegation visits biomass plant in Ferozepur

Ferozepur, November 16

A delegation from Norway, led by Minister of International Development Anne Beathe Tvinnereim, visited the biomass plant of Sukhbir Agro Energy Limited (SAEL) at Hakumat Singh Wala village here and studied the process of generating electricity with the help of crop residue.

The minister appreciated the efforts of the district administration and plant owners in preventing pollution and generating electricity from stubble straw.

“It is a win-win situation for both farmers and the administration. With such an initiative, not only air pollution gets reduced, but several jobs are also created. Besides, farmers are able to make money with their crop residue,” Anne Beathe said.

Jasbir Awla, Managing Director, SAEL, said the plant had purchased 10 lakh tones of paddy straw since 2019. “We have set a target to procure 40,000 tonnes of paddy straw in the coming days which will help us generating more power. This year we have generated around 43 lakh megawatt electricity,” said Awla.

DC Rajesh Dhiman met the Norwegian delegation and made them aware about the historical importance of the district. The delegation also held a meeting with the officials of District Food and Supply Officers and got information about the Public Distribution System (PDS) scheme.

May Elin Stener, Ambassador of Norway to India and Sri Lanka, Johan Lie Hammerstrom, senior advisor in the Secretariat of the Minister of International Development (Norway), Hakon Gulbrandsen and others were also present on the occasion.