India to Pitch for Global Biofuels Alliance at G20 - Oil Minister

October 24, 2022

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by Mohi Narayan (Reuters) India plans to pitch for a global alliance on biofuels among members of the group of 20 major economies, oil minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Wednesday, as the world's third biggest oil consumer bids to boost use of cleaner fuels.

India will take over the presidency of the group, also called G20, from Indonesia in December. New Delhi will host a meeting of the member nations in September next year.

"We will utilise our G20 presidency to try and set up an international biofuels alliance," Puri said at the International Conference on Biofuels.

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"We have enough countries in the world which are producing biofuels, so if you get the ecosystem around it, in terms of the standards, the flexi-fuel engines... I think we are on our way to setting up an international alliance," he said.

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India, also the world's third-biggest oil importer, ships in about 85% of its crude needs, but is gradually building capacity to increase its output of biofuels.

The South Asian nation plans to build 12 bio-refineries to produce fuel from items including crop stubble, plant waste and municipal solid waste.

India plans to introduce 20% ethanol blending with gasoline in some parts of the country from April next year, followed by a nationwide roll out from 2025/26

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set a net zero carbon emissions goal for 2070. READ MORE

Higher energy prices hastened India’s transition to biofuels, says Hardeep Puri (CanIndia)

How biofuel can help India become energy efficient (Times of India)

‘Biofuel production on the rise; India on path to self-sufficiency in energy sector’ (Times of India)

India publishes long term emissions strategy to reach net zero in 2070 (Reuters)

India to propose global biofuels alliance at 2023 G20 summit (Biofuels Digest/LiveMint)

Large countries are ready to join Global Biofuels Alliance: Oil minister Hardeep .. (Economic Times Energy World)

Global Biofuels Alliance to be unveiled next month (Knowledge and News Network)

‘Field to fuel’: 19 countries join India to launch Global Biofuels Alliance (Times of India)

Special Ministerial Consultations And Recommendations On Global Biofuels Alliance (Odisha Diary Bureau)

Sri Lanka joins Global Biofuel Alliance as founding member (Daily FT)

G20: India pushes for Global Biofuels Alliance, expected to be launched tomorrow (India Blooms)

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IEA Shares Recommendations for Global Biofuel Alliance (Renewable Energy Magazine)

UAE joins alliance to promote sustainable biofuels, minister announces (Khaleej Times)

Guyana backs India’s launch of Global Biofuels Alliance (Guyana Chronicle)

Guyana joins India, other countries to launch biofuels alliance (Stabroek News)

G20 Summit: PM Likely To Launch Global Biofuel Tomorrow (Knowledge and News Network)

Joe Biden leaves for India; to back $200 billion debt relief fund, global biofuels alliance -- Talks with PM Modi to review over two dozen areas of tech collaboration, food and fuel security due to Ukraine conflict (The Tribune)

Excerpt from Times of India: With the eyes of the world on India, union petroleum and natural gas minister Hardeep Singh Puri highlighted the role of alternative fuels such as biofuel in speeding up the energy transition. The Union Cabinet has advanced the mandate for 20% ethanol blend in petrol and diesel, primarily targeting industrial and transport sectors from 2030 to 2025. This is one of the steps that intends to help India become self-sufficient in energy production while achieving the commitment to reduce carbon to NetZero by 2070.

India’s energy crisis and the role of biofuel

The annual power demand in India has seen to be growing at the fastest rate in at least four decades. India’s primary energy consumption grew by 2.3% in 2019 placing it third after China and USA with a 5.8% global share. India has been largely dependent on fossil fuels, close to 50% of which is imported to meet its energy demands. This is expected to increase to 53% by 2030.

Along with the pressure to encourage renewable, low-carbon sources of energy, global coal prices have soared to unprecedented levels due to the dents in supply resulting from the Russia-Ukraine war and shortage in the output from some mines across India. India’s local coal supply is expected to drop 15% more than projected, leading to a 42.5 million tons shortfall by the September quarter of 2022. To find an immediate solution, various State governments have requested the federal government-run Coal India to import coal in bulk and distribute it among the States. This will put further pressure on State-Government-owned power distribution companies, which are already burdened with billions of dollars of debt to generators as they have been absorbing higher input costs to keep the tariffs steady.

In this catch-22 situation, the role of alternative fuels is paramount to decrease import pressure and increase home-grown natural fuel options, insulating India to some extent against the global political scenario.

Why biofuels are emerging as an immediate and sustainable energy source

Biofuels are generated from all types of waste, which of course is locally available everywhere. While currently biofuel is only systemically produced from crops and industrial food processing waste, it can also be produced from human-generated waste, due to advances in technology. This solves multiple problems – waste is diverted from landfills, as an energy source, it is renewable and available at all times and being locally produced, resolves the hassles (and carbon emissions) related to logistics o supply.

Considering its life cycle analysis, biofuels are more efficient and reliable as a low carbon replacement for fossil fuels. Fossil fuels involve energy-intensive production and extraction through mining and dredging, while biofuel is produced from the waste that would otherwise end up in a landfill. Unlike the slow natural process fossil fuels take to form, biomass can be converted directly into liquid biofuels, are nontoxic, biodegradable, and need low usage of energy for conversion. If we consider other renewable energy sources like solar panels or wind turbines, their manufacturing and production are energy and carbon-intensive and may involve the need for coal which initiated this energy crisis.

India is firmly on the path towards adopting biofuel as a CO2 mitigation strategy

Biofuel is an important solution for CO2 mitigation strategies in the economy, a fact recognised by India’s recent policy moves to encourage the use of biofuel blends.

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As biofuel is adopted by the transportation and manufacturing industries, there will be increased demand for feedstock. The industry will soon see a revolution on both sides – the introduction of new sources of waste including human-generated waste as biofuel sources of energy, as well as new applications for this fuel. Checking off all the right boxes – low-carbon production and consumption, sustainability, a renewable resource, easily implemented, and addressing the issue of human-generated waste – biofuel is emerging as the hero, giving the nation a turbo-boost towards becoming a circular economy. READ MORE