Government's Ethanol Blending Programme to be a game changer for India

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], August 9 (ANI/NewsVoir): Bharat Petroleum, the second largest Indian Oil Marketing Company and one of the premier integrated energy companies in India, has reiterated the strategic importance of biofuels in India, on the occasion of World Biofuel Day.
World Biofuel Day is observed every year on August 10 to create awareness about the importance of non-fossil fuels as an alternative to conventional fossil fuels. The day honours the research experiments by Sir Rudolf Christian Karl Diesel (inventor of the diesel engine) who ran an engine with peanut oil in 1893.
Biofuels in India will assist in Improving Farmers Income, Import Reduction, Employment Generation, Waste to Wealth Creation, cleaner environment, health benefits etc. The existing biodiversity can be put to optimum use by utilizing dry lands for generating wealth for the local populous and in turn contribute to sustainable development.
India's net import of petroleum was 185 MT at a cost of USD 551 billion in 2020-21. Most of petroleum products are used in transportation. Hence, a successful E20 program can save the country USD 1 billion per annum, i.e. Rs 30.000 crore.
Speaking on the occasion, P.S. Ravi, Executive Director, Retail, BPCL said, "BPCL is the coordinator and leader for Ethanol in the industry and we play a big part in contributing to the Ethanol Blended petrol programme of the Government. Achieving energy security and transitioning to a thriving low-carbon economy is critical for a growing nation like India. Blending locally produced ethanol with petrol will help India strengthen its energy security, reduce imports, enable local enterprises and farmers to participate in the energy economy and reduce vehicular emissions amongst many more benefits."
Ethanol is a less polluting fuel and offers equivalent efficiency' at a low'-Availability of large arable land, rising production of food grains and sugarcane leading to surpluses, availability of technology to produce ethanol from plant-based sources and feasibility of making vehicles compliant to ethanol blended petrol make E20 not only a national imperative but also an important strategic requirement.
BPCL along with OMCs has signed 131 LTOAs with project proponents proposing to set up ethanol plants of approx. 757 Cr lit per annum capacity in ethanol deficit states. They have also taken initiative to move ethanol from Surplus states to deficit states through railway mode and ensure higher blending in deficit states.
BPCL is setting up an integrated 2G and 1G Bio Ethanol Refinery at Bargarh, Odisha. The Bio-ethanol Refinery, which will increase the production capacity to about 6 Cr lit per annum of ethanol. The refinery has a design production capacity of 100 KL per day of 2G Ethanol using Biomass as feedstock and 100 KLPD 1G Bio Ethanol using Rice Grain as feedstock.
In order to achieve the target of E20 (20 per cent blending by 2025), BPCL is expanding its Ethanol storage facility in all its depots/terminals in a phased manner to cater to the additional requirement on account of a 20 per cent Blending rollout by 2025.
Fortune Global 500 Company, Bharat Petroleum is the second largest Indian Oil Marketing Company and one of the premier integrated energy companies in India, engaged in refining of crude oil and marketing of petroleum products, with a significant presence in the upstream and downstream sectors of the oil and gas industry. The company attained the coveted Maharatna status, joining the elite club of companies having greater operational and financial autonomy.
Bharat Petroleum's Refineries at Mumbai and Kochi and subsidiary Bharat Oman Refineries Ltd., at Bina, Madhya Pradesh have a combined refining capacity of around 35.3 MMTPA. Its marketing infrastructure includes a network of installations, depots, energy stations, aviation service stations and LPG distributors. Its distribution network comprises over 20,000 Energy Stations, over 6,200 LPG distributorships, 733 Lubes distributorships, and 123 POL storage locations, 54 LPG Bottling Plants, 60 Aviation Service Stations, 4 Lube blending plants and 4 cross-country pipelines.
Bharat Petroleum is integrating its strategy, investments, environmental and social ambitions to move towards a sustainable planet. The company has chalked out the plan to offer electric vehicle charging stations at around 7000 energy stations over next 5 years.
With a focus on sustainable solutions, the company is developing a vibrant ecosystem and a road map to become a Net Zero Energy Company by 2040, in Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions. Bharat Petroleum has been partnering communities by supporting innumerable initiatives connected primarily in the areas of education, water conservation, skill development, health, community development, capacity building and employee volunteering. With 'Energising Lives' as its core purpose, Bharat Petroleum's vision is to be the most admired global energy company leveraging talent, innovation and technology.
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