Biofuel

Respecting consumer choice: Ethanol blending programme needed better design

India's E20 rollout should balance energy security with consumer choice, smoother vehicle transition and a shift towards more sustainable ethanol feedstocks

Brazil's ethanol success story shows biofuel transition takes time

Brazil's ethanol programme evolved from an oil crisis response into the world's most successful biofuel model. Here's how it progressed from Pró-Álcool to E30

IBA inks initial pact to skill 50,000 ex-army personnel for biogas sector

Industry body Indian Biogas Association (IBA) has inked an initial pact with Army Welfare Placement Organization (AWPO) and Reveille Energy LLP to skill about 50,000 ex-army personnel for the sector. Partnership aims to create employment, skilling, and sustainable career opportunities for about 50,000 Ex-Servicemen in India's rapidly growing renewable energy sector, an IBA statement said. The agreement aims to bridge the skill demand-supply gap in the bioenergy ecosystem by facilitating training, reskilling, and upskilling of Ex-Servicemen for roles across India's renewable energy industry. Through this collaboration, the parties will jointly work towards creating sustainable career pathways for veterans while strengthening India's clean energy mission. As part of the partnership, the AWPO will mobilize and screen suitable Ex-Servicemen candidates across the country, while IBA will facilitate industry linkages, onsite training opportunities, and placement support through its extens

Drivers in India protest ethanol petrol policy over mileage, cost concerns

The government and automakers have been on the defensive after weeks of complaints on social media

Boost biofuel production to cut imports, achieve self-reliance: Gadkari

Union minister Nitin Gadkari on Saturday said India faces a "significant" shortfall in the production of bitumen and aviation fuel, stressing the need to boost domestic biofuel production to reduce imports and achieve self-reliance. Addressing a function in Lonavala near Pune, Gadkari said the country requires around 120 lakh tonnes of bitumen annually, while domestic petroleum companies have the capacity to produce about 50 lakh tonnes. "As a result, we have to import 60 to 70 lakh tonnes of bitumen every year. The price of bitumen has increased from Rs 45 per kg to Rs 80 per kg," he said. The Union Road Transport and Highways said India was spending substantial foreign exchange on the import of bitumen and other petroleum products, making it imperative to explore alternative and indigenous sources of production. Referring to the aviation sector, Gadkari said the country was also facing a shortage of aviation turbine fuel. "In the next couple of days, five flights operating from

Uttar Pradesh ethanol production jumps 23% to 2.23 billion litres

Uttar Pradesh's ethanol output rose 23 per cent in 2024-25, supporting India's biofuel push and strengthening the state's farm economy

Govt mandates sale of petrol with up to 20% ethanol blending from April 1

Ethanol blending programme was introduced to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and cut energy imports

Mitsubishi Corp buys stake in India's KIS Group, debuts into biogas segment

KIS Group aims to invest $1 billion across renewable gas and biofuel solutions in Southeast Asia and India by 2030

E20 petrol is safe but can lower mileage, acceleration: Mahindra Auto CEO

Transport minister Nitin Gadkari, however, on Wednesday said that concerns about E20 are being fuelled by the petroleum lobby

Japan to fund $400 million bamboo biofuel refinery project in India

Japan Bank for International Cooperation and private banks to invest around $408 million in bamboo-to-biofuel refinery in Assam, marking Japan's largest clean energy investment in northeast India

Turning used cooking oil into diesel blending feedstock remains a challenge

India's biodiesel blending rate was at a mere 0.60 per cent in FY25, against a target of 5 per cent by 2030, largely because of limited investments and challenges in collection of used cooking oil

Bioenergy can cover 50% of fossil fuel consumption in 5 years: Gadkari

Bioenergy can cover 50 per cent of India's fossil fuel consumption in five years, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said on Monday while urging the automobile industry to undertake research and development on alternative fuels. Air pollution has become a big problem because of fossil fuel, the Minister for Road, Transport and Highways said at the 'Bhoomipujan programme' of the Indian School for Design of Automobiles. The transport sector is responsible for 40 per cent of air pollution in the country because of fossil fuel, the minister pointed out. A lot of research and innovation is going on in fuel and automobile engineering. "We need to protect our ecology and environment, and fulfil the dream of the Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) to make India a carbon-neutral country," Gadkari said. Bioenergy can cover 50 per cent of India's fossil fuel consumption in five years which is very important because Rs 22 lakh crore is being spent on import of the fossil fuel, Gadkari said. The country

What is bioeconomy and how it grew from $10b to $165b in just a decade

The number of businesses engaged in the bioeconomy has surged by nearly 90 per cent in just three years, increasing from 5,365 in 2021 to 10,075 in 2024

Honeywell to decarbonise shipping and aviation businesses in India

Company exploring ways to increase production of sustainable jet fuel

MP investors' summit: NTPC, Dabur, Reliance & others pledge investments

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who inaugurated the summit, said Madhya Pradesh is becoming a preferred business destination while adding that this is the right time to invest in the state

Ethanol 2.0 policies key for India to match Brazil as a biofuel superpower

Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) programme 2.0 is essential because the International Energy Agency forecasts India to be the biggest contributor to global oil demand in the years ahead

REI Expo saw Rs 1,850 cr investments committed for biogas sector: IBA

Investments worth Rs 1,850 crore have been committed in the biogas sector during the Renewable Energy India (REI) Expo 2024, held from October 3-5 in Greater Noida, a top official of Indian Biogas Association (IBA) said. "The IBA has secured anticipated investment commitments totaling Rs 1,850 crore through joint ventures (JVs), MoUs, and letters of intent (LoIs) at the recently concluded Renewable Energy India (REI) Expo 2024, held from October 3 to 5 in Greater Noida," IBA Chairman Gaurav Kedia told PTI. Kedia said a total of 47 exhibitors representing 10 biogas producing nations took part in the REI Expo. These investments, set to be realised over 2-3 years, reflect strong international interest, particularly from countries such as Germany, Sweden, and the UK, he said. "We have signed MoUs (memorandum of understanding) worth over Rs 900 crore for joint ventures and received almost 50 LoIs (letter of intends) for establishing compressed biogas plants in India," Kedia said. Found

Turning leftovers into mileage: How potatoes could soon power your vehicle

The Central Potato Research Institute is expected to start a plant to convert potato waste into ethanol by targeting peels and the starch from potato washing water as key components for conversion

Bio-E3 policy to usher in bio-revolution in India: Jitendra Singh

The government's Bio-E3 policy marks a crucial step in positioning India as a global bio-economy leader and is set to spark a "bio-revolution" in India similar to the IT revolution in the western world, Union minister Jitendra Singh said on Thursday. The BioE3 policy was formally launched last month and aims to facilitate sustainable and efficient utilisation of biological resources for innovation, scaling-up and bio-manufacturing of specialty chemicals, enzymes, bio-polymers, functional foods, smart proteins, veterinary products, precision bio-therapeutics and services. Speaking at the Global Bio-India Summit 2024, Singh said the policy marks a crucial step in positioning India as a global bio-economy leader. The Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology also highlighted the importance of the Global Biotech platform, which brings together a diverse range of stakeholders, including start ups, SMEs, large industries, research institutes, and international ...

Shubhshree Biofuels Energy IPO subscribed 120 times on final day of bidding

The initial public offer of Shubhshree Biofuels Energy got subscribed by a whopping 119.37 times on the last day of subscription on Wednesday. The public offer of Shubhshree Biofuels Energy received bids for 11,91,82,800 shares against 9,98,400 shares on offer, according to the NSE data. The initial public offering (IPO) of Shubhshree Biofuels Energy is entirely a fresh issue of 13.92 lakh shares. The company had fixed a price band at Rs 113-119 a share. The company intends to utilise the proceeds of IPO to fund the capital expenditure towards the installation of additional plant and machinery, to meet the working capital requirements, and general corporate purpose. Established in 2013, Jaipur-based Shubhshree Biofuels Energy supplies biomass fuels, including biomass pellets and briquettes, to customers operating in the recycled material, textile processing, pharmaceutical, metal, etc. sectors. Meanwhile, the Rs 45.88-crore IPO of Aditya Ultra Steel subscribed 10.22 times on the f