India targets 20 per cent biofuel usage by 2017
26 Dec 2009
The government has unveiled a new national policy on bio-fuels, which sets an indicative target of 20 per cent blending of bio-fuels, both for bio-diesel and bio-ethanol, by 2017.
The union cabinet has approved the national policy on bio-fuels and its implementation, in order to facilitate and bring about the optimal development and utilisation of indigenous biomass feedstocks for bio-fuel production.
The policy provides for setting up of a National Biofuel Coordination Committee and a Biofuel Steering Committee.
"Bio-fuels provide a strategic advantage to promote sustainable development and to supplement conventional energy sources in meeting the rapidly increasing requirements for transportation fuels associated with high economic growth, as well as in meeting the energy needs of India's vast rural population," the release said.
"Bio-fuels can increasingly satisfy these energy needs in an environmentally benign and cost-effective manner while reducing dependence on import of fossil fuels and thereby providing a higher degree of national energy security, it said.
"The Indian approach to bio-fuels is based solely on non-food feedstocks to be raised on degraded or wastelands that are not suited to agriculture, thus avoiding a possible conflict of fuel vs food security," the release noted.
Under the national policy on bio-fuels, bio-diesel production will be taken up from non-edible oil seeds in waste /degraded / marginal lands.
