Cabinet Approves National Biofuel Policy
(Times of India) The Cabinet today approved the National Policy on Biofuels which allows doping of ethanol produced from damaged foodgrains, rotten potatoes, corn and sugar beet with petrol to cut oil imports by Rs 4,000 crore this year alone.
Till now only ethanol produced from sugarcane was allowed to be mixed in petrol.
A meeting of the Union Cabinet, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the new policy which categorises biofuels as First Generation (1G), which produce bio-ethanol from molasses and bio-diesel from non-edible oilseeds.
Second Generation (2G) ethanol can be produced from municipal solid waste and Third Generation (3G) fuels like bio-CNG.
“The Policy expands the scope of raw material for ethanol production by allowing use of sugarcane juice, sugar containing materials like sugar beet, sweet sorghum, starch containing materials like corn, cassava, damaged food grains like wheat and broken rice, and rotten potatoes,” an official statement said.
It also allows use of surplus food grains for production of ethanol for blending with petrol with the approval of National Biofuel Coordination Committee, it said.
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The policy also encourages setting up of supply chain mechanisms for biodiesel production from non-edible oilseeds, used cooking oil and short gestation crops.
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“By reducing crop burning & conversion of agricultural residues/wastes to biofuels there will be further reduction in Green House Gas emissions,” it said. READ MORE
Cabinet approves National Policy on Biofuels – 2018 (Government of India)
Cabinet approves new biofuels policy (The Hindu)
New biofuels policy allocates ₹5,000 cr for 2G ethanol plants (The Hindu)
Cabinet approves National Biofuel Policy to reduce Green House Gas emission (Business Standard)
Biofuels policy to cut emissions, energy imports gets cabinet nod (Live Mint)
Cabinet okays use of surplus foodgrain for producing ethanol (Economic Times)
India expands supported ethanol feedstocks, funding for 2G (Biofuels International)
Ethanol blending programme to get policy boost as crude oil prices soar (Business Standard)
