IEW, India’s flagship energy event, plans to position the country as an energy transition powerhouse. The path ahead could be a green one, going by the line-up of events during the IEW, beginning with the launch of the E20 fuel. This is scheduled to be piloted in petrol pumps across various states. E20 derives its name from the actual combination; it is a blend of 20 per cent ethanol with petrol. The government has a mission to achieve a complete 20 per cent blending of ethanol by 2025. The target is probably being achieved with oil marketing companies setting up 2G-3G ethanol plants.Last August, India became home to a 2G (second generation) ethanol bio refinery, which is the first of its kind in Asia.
With sustained efforts by the government, the production of ethanol has perhaps seen a six-fold increase since 2013-14. The country’s Ethanol Blending Programme & Biofuels Programme has helped reduce 318 lakh tonnes (31.8Mt) of CO2 emissions. Another advantage...