Dr Debnath Mukopadhyay: A Trailblazing Reformer of the Biofuel Industry

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Dr Debnath Mukopadhyay: A Trailblazing Reformer of the Biofuel Industry Dr Debnath Mukopadhyay, the CFO of TruAlt Bioenergy Ltd, a Doctorate in accounting and financial management is a well qualified Finance Professional having earned his finance Degrees from reputed Institutions like XLRI and ICAI. A B Com (Hons.) Graduate from Calcutta University, Dr Debnath started his career in 2001 with Goodricke, a UK-based MNC specializing in Tea manufacturing, and moved on to work with renowned Companies like ICICI Bank, Reliance, and TIL Ltd. Out of a total of 24 years of experience, Dr Debnath has 12 years of experience in Renewable industries, having worked with Vikram Solar and Hero Future Energy. In 2023, Dr Debnath joined TruAlt Bioenergy Ltd, and ever since, he has worked on amalgamating the breadth of his experience in different sectors and utilizing them to foster innovation.

TruAlt is currently India’s largest biofuel producer, which mainly produces ethanol and compressed biogas. With respect to ethanol, TruAlt can currently generate 1.4 million litres per day. Ethanol has been the primary biofuel used in India for over a decade. Trualt has been able to leverage key policies of the Government of India such as the Ethanol Blended Program launched in 2003 ("EBP"), to become a supplier of ethanol to oil marketing companies ("OMCs")

While the current blending is 12.54%, there are plans to increase it to 20% soon, as announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference in 2023.

The company, through its Subsidiary Unit, produces compressed biogas using byproducts of the sugar industry, like pressed mud. The company is also in the process of entering into a joint venture agreement with the Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL).

Future Plans

TruAlt started in October 2022 with a production capacity of 5,90,000 litres of ethanol per day. The current employee strength is 700. While the current production is 1.4 million litres per day with 3 plants, the Company plans to increase capacity to 2 million litres per day by the end of this year (5 plants) and to 2.7 million litres per day in 2027 (7 plants). By then, the company will have ~ 2000 employees working in full force. As of now, the company has production units in North Karnataka, specifically Bagalkot and Jamkhandi.

Inspirations

Dr Debnath reminisces about his childhood and remembers his grandfather and father, who were beacons of inspiration and guidance. He recollects how his father always guided him to do the right things and pursue his passion, especially when he had just entered the industry. Also, he owes a lot of his learnings about corporate ethics and leadership to his great experience in the corporate industry.

His wife, who is a lawyer and Company Secretary is his constant inspiration and support who inspired him to pursue and complete his LLB Degree as well .. He also has an extended family, who have always inspired him to focus on business and do something challenging.

Dr Debnath’s interest in this field stems from his love for knowledge, learning, and directing. His passion is to create something. He says, “I am not a follower of conventions. I always take the challenging, less-trodden path.” He says he loves planning, which is 70% of any task, and executing, which is 30% of any task, and seeing to it that the idea is successful.

He tells his son, who is presently undergoing Graduation in Economics that it is not about degrees or courses or choosing the most prestigious college - it’s about doing whatever you do with passion and doing it well. Every idea has the possibility of innovation, and that is what one should pursue. People should be diligent and detailed and make thorough analytical decisions. Clear planning ensures that once the decision is made, there is no going back. One should own one’s ideas and see them to fruition.

With his continued innovation and dedication, Dr Debnath is a trailblazer in the biofuel industry, and is an important part of the journey of TruAlt which stands as one of India's largest biofuels producers, having strategically positioned itself as a prominent and diversified player in the biofuel industry,. . With his initiatives, Dr Debnath aspires to create awareness about renewable energy and sustainable practices and help address larger environmental challenges.