India targets 20 per cent blending of ethanol in petrol and 5 per cent blending of biodiesel in diesel by 2030 as per the country’s national biofuel policy – released last year. To achieve this target, the country is adding new capacities and aims to set up twelve 2G-Ethanol bio-refineries across 11 states in the country - including Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Assam, Odisha, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.
The 12 bio-refineries are expected to be built at an investment of Rs 10,000 crore.
Among these 12 plants, is Indian Oil Corporation’s (IOC) upcoming 2G ethanol production facility at its Panipat refinery in Haryana. To be built at a cost of Rs 700 crore, the proposed plant will need about 473 tonnes of raw materials per day. IOC plans to use non-food biomass raw materials such as rice straw and other ligno-cellulosic feedstock.
Meanwhile, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) has commissioned its 2G ethanol bio-refinery at Baulsingha village in Bargarh district in Odisha. To be built by 2020, this plant will use rice straw to produce ethanol. The plant will use locally sourced rice straw from locations such as Bhatli, Ambabhona, Attabira, Sohela, Burla, Lakhanpur, etc.
Milind Patke, Executive Director, Bharat Petroleum will present a session on ‘Establishing Roadmap for Advanced Biofuels in India’ at CMT’s Global Biofuels Summit on 22-23 October, 2019 in Singapore.