Gadkari underlines the importance of biofuel
Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari has highlighted the Government’s objective to make Ethanol Economy of Rs.2 Lakh crore, especially by promoting biofuel.
Gadkari said he has been a strong proponent of creating an Ethanol Economy and has been pushing for large scale up-take of Ethanol to boost the agricultural growth by 6%.
With the launch of World’s First BS-6 Compliant Flex Fuel Strong Hybrid Vehicle in Delhi, Flex Engines will be operating on 100% ethanol and the savings would surpass Rs.1 lakh crore for the Economy.
He pointed out that the IOCL plant in Panipat converts agricultural waste, like rice straw, into ethanol and bio-bitumen. It is establishing a 87,000-tonne a year plant at Panipat to produce Sustainable Aviation Fuel.
The Minister said with advancements in bio-ethanol production technologies, 1 ton of rice can yield approximately 400 to 450 liters of ethanol, symbolizing a significant stride towards sustainability and energy independence.
Gadkari informed that by 2025 there will be a mandate to use 1% Sustainable Aviation Fuel with prospective plans to escalate to 5% blending in India in the future.
He noted that the telecom sector operates, with approximately 6 lakh mobile towers, have been reliant on diesel generator sets for power, with one tower consuming around 8,000 liters of diesel annually.
He said this cumulatively results in a staggering consumption of 250 crore liters of diesel, costing around Rs.25,000 crore every year.
The Minister said the integration of ethanol as a fuel for these generator sets offers a sustainable alternative to diesel and the market has already developed a Generator Set on 100% ethanol.
Gadkari has told the GenSet industry to only operate on Ethanol based Generators in the time to come.
Gadkari also believes that Hydrogen is the fuel for the future and the most important way through which India can become a net exporter of energy. Fiinews.com
