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The government is considering an integrated approach to India's bioenergy ecosystem as it seeks to strengthen energy security, cut crude oil imports and expand cleaner fuel alternatives, Rajnath Ram, Advisor (Energy), NITI Aayog, said on Friday.
Speaking to ANI on the sidelines of the India Bioenergy Conference in the national capital, Ram said discussions are underway to give a broader push to the sector. "There are some discussions going on in the government because they want to take an integrated view of our bioenergy ecosystem. The government is pushing bioenergy and most states are taking it up," he told ANI. The conference focused on promoting bioenergy technologies and addressing opportunities and challenges in the sector. Highlighting the importance of bioenergy for India's energy security, Ram said the current geopolitical environment has reinforced the need to diversify energy sources and reduce dependence on imports. "That is required, in fact, for energy security purposes because, seeing the current geopolitical scenario, we have to de-risk somehow in the energy business," he said. Ram noted that the transport sector accounts for nearly 70 per cent of fuel consumption, making biofuels an important tool for reducing fossil fuel imports. "A large part of the consumption remains in the transport sector, almost 70 per cent. Alternate sources, biofuels like ethanol and other kinds of SAF, will reduce that use in the transport sector. So definitely imports could also be reduced," he said. On ethanol blending, Ram said the government has already rolled out E20 fuel and is examining higher blends. "We have rolled out E20 and the government is looking at E85 and E100. Flex fuel is also under consideration and some companies have already launched flex-fuel vehicles," he said, adding that wider adoption could help lower India's crude oil import bill. Addressing challenges facing the sector, Ram said improving project bankability and strengthening supply chains remain key priorities. "The challenges remain with having the bankability of the project. We have to work towards the system and supply chain, from connection to marketing of the entire spectrum," he said. He also stressed the need to ensure that only surplus feedstocks are used for biofuel production and that projects are assessed based on lifecycle and net-energy considerations. According to Ram, fragmented landholdings, lack of mechanised collection systems and high transportation costs continue to affect project viability. "The supply chain logistics aspect, fragmented and small landholdings, lack of mechanical collection and high transportation cost can create a viability issue," he said. While first-generation biofuel technologies are relatively mature, challenges linked to second-generation technologies still need to be addressed, Ram said. "Industry, policy and R&D will solve these issues," he added. Expressing confidence in the sector's future, Ram said biofuels would play a major role in India's development journey. "Towards 2047, we have to keep in mind energy from now on and that is where biofuels play a big role," he said. (ANI)
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