The ongoing fierce war in the Middle East and rising prices of crude oil have increased the concern of the entire world. India imports a large part of its oil needs, so due to the war, there is a danger of supply stoppage and increase in the prices of petrol and diesel. But amidst this crisis, India’s ethanol industry has come forward with a big offer.
Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India had ahead of schedule achieved the target of 20% ethanol blending (E20) in petrol in 2025. Now All India Distillers Association (AIDA), an organization of ethanol producers, has written a letter to Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari saying that the industry is now ready to grow beyond 20%. This offer of AIDA can not only save the country from oil crisis, but can also save billions of rupees in foreign exchange.
Association’s Deputy Director General Bharati Balaji said that oil prices are increasing due to the war in the Middle East. In such a situation, if the government increases the amount of ethanol in petrol from 20% to 30%, then our dependence on crude oil imports will reduce in the same proportion. This will reduce the economic burden on the country.
Flex-fuel and ethanol stoves
The industry has not suggested limiting itself to vehicles only, but has also put forward many other big demands. On the lines of Brazil, such vehicles should be introduced in India which can run on 100% ethanol. Not only this, ethanol based stoves should be promoted for cooking in rural and semi-urban areas. This can prove to be a cheap and pollution free alternative to LPG. At the same time, it has been suggested to explore the possibility of adding ethanol to diesel to reduce the cost.
strength of india
India has now moved towards self-reliance in terms of ethanol production. At present the total production capacity of the country has reached approximately 2000 crore litres. More than 380 distilleries are operating across the country and work on 33 new units is underway. By using such a large capacity, India can reduce its dependence on Gulf countries for its energy needs.