World Biofuel Day 2022: Auto industry body SIAM hosts seminar to promote biofuels

The Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) on Wednesday conducted a virtual seminar on 'Promotion of Biofuels: A Pathway for Low Carbon Mobility' to commemorate World Biofuel Day 2022.

The automobile industry body's seminar aimed to disseminate knowledge, experience and learning on the biofuels ecosystem, especially Ethanol.

It also deliberated various aspects of ethanol production and its use along with an understanding of the concept of 'Decarbonization'.

The Ministerial Plenary Session included Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri and Secretary of Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas Pankaj Jain.

Hardeep Singh Puri said, "The key takeaways from today's event will act as a roadmap for the transition to biofuels. The industry is working towards the PM's Vision of ethanol-based mobility as one of the pathways for carbon neutrality and fostering sustainable mobility. Subsequently, the roadmap for ethanol blending has detailed pathways for achieving 20 per cent blending by 2025. The result of our 10 per cent blending is that we made foreign exchange savings of Rs 41,500 crore, timely payment of Rs 40,600 crores to farmers and reduction of 27 lakh tons of CO2 emissions."

Emphasizing the need for alternate fuel and appreciating the efforts of SIAM, Pankaj Jain said, "We are looking at producing 10-12 billion litres of ethanol by 2025 and we are conscious about the dispensing of E20 fuel by as early as April 2023. We strongly believe that Flex fuel vehicles are going to matter in the future. The automobile sector is one sector in India that is way ahead of government policy deadlines."

The presentation provided insights into the present and future scenarios on the usage of alternate fuels.

Prashant K Banerjee, executive director, SIAM, said, "Today distinguished experts from the energy domain provided the much-needed insight into 'Biofuel Roadmap 2030 for India'. This will play a huge role in facilitating the implementation of Biofuel pathways announced by the government. This will also help in achieving sustainable development goals in the country by 2030. Alternative fuels will drive India towards a sustainable future."

Over the years, the industry body has been engaging with governments, corporates, and stakeholders to address sustainability issues.