Ethanol Blending

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

India needs all kinds of green technologies, including electric, hybrid and flex-fuel compliant powertrains in automobiles, in order to reduce dependence on fossil fuels, according to a senior executive of Toyota Kirloskar Motor. Aligning with the national goals, the automaker plans to go in for all kinds of powertrains in its cars as it looks to provide customers with a wide range of mobility options across multiple price points. "We need all the technologies to basically shift away from petrol and diesel fossil fuels. There is so much in terms of what needs to be done. Even if we have all these green technologies. there is still going to be a gap," Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) Country Head and Executive Vice-President Vikram Gulati said in an interaction with PTI. TKM aims to offer wider clean energy technology choices, including hybrid, electric vehicles, fuel-cell electric and flex-fuel vehicles to align with the government's goal of reducing dependence on fossil fuels, he ...

The uneven monsoon in 2023 means that industry is already beginning to factor in a drop in production in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Gujarat

Doubts crop in over the viability of achieving 20% ethanol blending