Ethanol Blending

Will achieve 20% ethanol blending by April, aiming to go beyond that: Puri

India is looking at increasing its target to blend ethanol with petrol to more than 20 per cent and has formed a committee under the NITI Aayog for this, Petroleum Minister Hardeep S Puri said on Wednesday. Addressing the Advantage Assam 2.0 business summit in Guwahati, he said 19.6 per cent blending has already been achieved. "We will be looking at more than 20 per cent blending of biofuel. Already a NITI Aayog group has been set up and they are looking into it," he said. "We had set a target of 20 per cent blending by 2026, but already achieved 19.6 per cent. I am sure we will touch 20 per cent next month," he added. Puri said that the country has a capacity of 1,700 crore litre of blending, and already 1,500 crore litre are being utilised. With India spending USD 150 billion on different types of fuel imports, he said that one area where the attention is lacking is green hydrogen. "The green hydrogen price is presently USD 4.5. If you can bring it closer to USD 2.5, there will

IEW 2025 : India on track to meet 2030 energy goals, says PM Modi

India will reach 20 per cent ethanol blending by October, Modi said

Centre charting 5-year road map to boost ethanol blending in petrol

Panel to submit report on taking blending beyond 20%

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

Ethanol blending has saved Rs 99,000 crore forex since 2014, says Puri

17.3 mn metric tonnes of crude oil substituted, 51.9 mn tonnes of CO2 emissions averted, the minister said

Sugarcane set to reclaim dominance as ethanol feedstock next year: Industry

Industry experts anticipate a shift back to sugarcane-based molasses as the primary feedstock for ethanol production next year, driven by expected surplus sugar supplies and calls to lift restrictions

Govt mulls ethanol price hike for 2024-25 season to increase production

The government is considering a proposal to increase ethanol prices for the season starting November 2024, while also pushing for diversification of feedstocks, as it aims to achieve the 20 per cent blending target by 2025-26, sources said. A committee headed by a joint secretary from the petroleum ministry has already held one round of discussions on the proposal. The revision of ethanol prices will be based on the fair and remunerative price of sugarcane, they added. "The price revision is being considered on priority to incentivize production and meet our blending goals," a source said, requesting anonymity. Last week, Cooperation Minister Amit Shah called for a multi-dimensional approach to biofuel manufacturing and affirmed that India would achieve its 20 per cent ethanol blending target by 2025-26, ahead of the original 2030 deadline. Ethanol prices, fixed by the government, have remained unchanged since the 2022-23 season (November-October). Currently, ethanol produced from

Amit Shah urges sugar mills to diversify ethanol, biofuel production

Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on Saturday called on sugar mills to explore alternatives to sugarcane for ethanol production, pushing for a multi-dimensional approach to biofuel manufacturing. Speaking at an event organized by the National Federation of Cooperative Sugar Factories (NFCSF), Shah said India would achieve its 20 per cent ethanol blending target by 2025-26, ahead of the original 2030 deadline. The minister highlighted that the government's ethanol blending programme has helped reduce the country's crude oil import bill and address environmental concerns. "You need to be futuristic and look at opportunities and expand. Ethanol can be made from multiple sources," Shah said, urging cooperative sugar mills to shed their "orthodox" approach and explore alternative feedstocks such as maize and bamboo. Shah said about 1,000 crore litres of ethanol is required for blending, and the necessary infrastructure to achieve this target is in place. He emphasised the need for sugar m

Centre mulls allowing excess stock of B-heavy molasses for ethanol making

The government is considering allowing sugar mills to manufacture ethanol using their excess B-heavy molasses as feedstock, amid comfortable sugar supply and stable prices in the market, according to sources. Currently, sugar mills are holding an excess stock of more than 8 lakh tonnes of B-heavy molasses -- a byproduct of the sweetener -- produced before the ban on its use on December 7, last year. A week later, the government reversed the ban and allowed the use of both cane juice and B-heavy molasses but it permitted within the overall cap of a sugar diversion of 17 lakh tonnes for ethanol production for the 2023-24 supply year (November-October). "The industry has stored B-heavy molasses for making ethanol after the crushing gets over. But the government banned it suddenly and imposed a cap. Mills now have excess stock of B-heavy molasses," the sources told PTI. Now that the crushing is coming to an end, the sugar industry has been demanding the government to permit the use of

India may devote more sugar to ethanol in blow to export hopes: Report

The nation extended its export restrictions in October to protect domestic supplies ahead of national elections

Ethanol blending benefits passed on to sugarcane farmers: Govt tells LS

The government has saved Rs 24,000 crore due to blending of ethanol with petrol and majority of the benefit has been passed on to sugarcane farmers, Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said in the Lok Sabha on Thursday. He said at present the blending of ethanol stands at 12 per cent and the government plans to take it to 20 per cent as desired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Admitting that India's oil import has increased in the last few years, Shekhawat, who was replying to questions on behalf of Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, said the country has benefited by ethanol blending. "Oil import dependency has been increased over the past years. However, the growth of the country and energy demand go almost parallel," he said. Shekhawat said good thing is that Rs 24,000 crore has been saved in past few years due to ethanol blending. "Sixty-seventy per cent of this amount goes to farmers who produce sugar cane," he said. Replying to another question, the minister said dri

Govt imposes 50% export duty on molasses; extends lower duty on edible oils

Move seeks to ensure adequate quantities for ethanol blending and keep inflation in check

India in talks with Brazil for tech partnership to expand ethanol usage

India is in talks with Brazil for a technological partnership to expand usage of ethanol, amid a push for alternative fuels to cut carbon emission. Brazil has been using ethanol for a very long time in vehicles and there is a lot to learn from the South American nation, Union Minister V K Singh said on Tuesday. "We can learn from them (Brazil) and collaborate with them to ensure that we also develop an ecosystem for ethanol and such alcohol-based fuels," the Minister of State (MoS) for Road Transport and Highways said at the 'Assocham-Fuels of the Future 2.0' conference in the national capital. He further said that there is a need for awareness on alternative fuels to replace fossil fuels. Beside sugarcane, ethanol can also be produced using broken rice, maize and corn. "There is also a push on sustainable aviation fuel and we have conducted a trial of sustainable aviation fuels powered flight. The greatest challenge before us today is what alternative fuel we adopt and how we can

OMCs hike procurement price of ethanol produced from C-heavy molasses

After the hike, the procurement price of ethanol produced from C-heavy molasses would be Rs 56.28 per litre as against Rs 49.41 per litre in 2022-23 procurement season

Govt issues revised order to allow use of sugarcane juice to make ethanol

The food ministry has issued a fresh order reversing ban on the use of sugarcane juice for making ethanol and allowed utilisation of the juice as well as B-heavy molasses to produce the green fuel in the 2023-24 supply year. The revised order comes days after the Centre on December 7 banned use of sugarcane juice and sugar syrup for the 2023-24 supply year (November-October) in an order to ensure adequate sugar supply in the domestic market and check prices. In a directive issued to all sugar mills and distilleries, the ministry said the oil marketing companies (OMCs) will issue a "revised allocation" of "sugarcane juice and B heavy molasses-based ethanol" for the 2023-24 supply year to "each distillery". OMCs have been asked to inform the food ministry after placement of revised contracts. After receiving the revised allocation, sugar mills and distilleries have been asked to supply ethanol strictly as per the revised quantity of cane juice and B-heavy molasses. "No diversion of

Ban on sugarcane juice won't affect ethanol blending targets: Officials

The latest government direction has come as negative news for sugar companies, with their stocks trading lower for the second day on Friday

'Working to prevent disruption of ethanol supplies for gasoline blending'

India's goal of raising ethanol blending in petrol to 20% from 2025/26 remains intact, Oil Secretary Pankaj Jain said

HPCL to set up 2G bio-refinery plant worth Rs 1,400 crore in Punjab

The 2G bio-refinery is designed for the utilisation of paddy straw for the production of ethanol for blending with petrol under the Ethanol Blending Program of the Central Government

African nations set to visit India for ethanol blending, biogas studies

Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda keen to replicate India's ethanol blending, biogas initiatives

Oil India Ltd to invest Rs 25,000 crore in renewable energy by 2040

The company will invest in green hydrogen, solar, geothermal energy, 2G ethanol plant, compressed biogas plants, and carbon capture utilisation and storage (CCUS)