- Status
- MoU signedPre-final investment decision
- Investment
- ₹15,000 croreIndicative, phased
- Product
- Aviation-grade SAFCertified synthetic blending component
- Feedstock
- Agricultural residueCane, cotton, soy, pulse
- Commissioning
- Phased to 2029Subject to approvals and FID
Overview
One district, four residue streams, a fuel the world is short of.
The project will convert agricultural residue — sugarcane bagasse, cotton stalks, soybean husk and pigeon pea waste — into aviation-grade sustainable fuel using internationally certified conversion technologies. It is being developed at Chalisgaon in Jalgaon district, in the Khandesh region of northern Maharashtra.
The memorandum of understanding with the Government of Maharashtra was formalised on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in January 2026. It represents the Sankla group's strategic expansion from real estate-led value creation into long-duration, infrastructure-grade clean energy assets, and it is expected to support over 3,000 direct and indirect jobs.
Development is structured in phases through 2029. That sequencing is deliberate: it allows capital to be deployed efficiently, lets the feedstock supply chain mature ahead of full capacity, and keeps technology and market risk contained at each step rather than concentrated at a single start-up date.
Site rationale
Why Chalisgaon.
Site selection for a biomass-fed plant is decided by haulage economics before anything else. Chalisgaon sits inside its own feedstock catchment, on established rail and road corridors, in a district with the workforce to build and run the asset.
- FeedstockInside the catchment
Cane, cotton, soybean and pulse residue available within economic collection radius across Jalgaon, Dhule, Nashik and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar districts.
- RailChalisgaon Junction
On the Central Railway Mumbai–Bhusawal trunk route, with a branch line into the Khandesh interior.
- RoadHighway corridors
Connected toward Dhule and the Mumbai–Agra corridor, Nashik, and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar.
- PortsWest coast access
Road and rail routes to Maharashtra's west coast port infrastructure for equipment import and product export optionality.
- PeopleLocal workforce
A construction and operations workforce that can be recruited and skilled locally rather than imported.
- Project site
- Regional centres
- Feedstock catchment
Distances are approximate road distances to regional centres, shown for orientation. Site-specific logistics will be confirmed in the detailed project report.
Development plan
Phased through 2029.
Indicative sequencing. Each phase is gated on approvals, contracting and the performance of the phase before it.
- Phase 0 · Development
Definition and de-risking
Detailed project report, land assembly, environmental and statutory clearances, technology and licensor selection, feedstock catchment study, front-end engineering design, and structuring of financing ahead of a final investment decision.
- Phase 1 · Construction
First train
EPC award and site mobilisation, utilities and offsites, biomass reception and preparation infrastructure, and construction of the first conversion and synthesis train. Feedstock aggregation network and farmer contracting begin in parallel.
- Phase 2 · Commissioning
First fuel
Mechanical completion, commissioning and performance testing of the first train, fuel certification and release to specification, and the start of deliveries under initial offtake agreements.
- Phase 3 · Scale-up to 2029
Full capacity
Expansion trains commissioned against contracted feedstock and offtake, supply chain scaled across the catchment, and the asset moved into steady-state operation.
Workstreams
What is being built before anything is built.
Approvals & land
Land assembly, state industrial approvals, environmental clearance, consent to establish, water and power allocation, and aviation fuel regulatory compliance.
Licensor selection
Evaluation of certified residue-to-jet pathways, process guarantees, licence terms, and basic engineering interface with the EPC contractor.
Supply chain
Catchment mapping, farmer and FPO contracting, collection and densification yards, transport contracts, and specification and quality control at the plant gate.
Offtake
Long-term agreements with airlines, fuel suppliers and traders, and sustainability certification to make volumes claimable under CORSIA.
Capital structure
Equity, project debt and development finance, structured against phased milestones with lender-grade technical and E&S due diligence.
Local participation
Skilling programmes with local institutions, local procurement and hiring commitments, and grievance and engagement mechanisms.
Current status
Memorandum of understanding stage.
The MoU establishes intent and the framework for state support. It is not a construction contract. Land, clearances, technology, offtake and financing are all in development, and the project will proceed to construction only after a final investment decision. We will report progress against these workstreams as it is made.