Indian Air Force to start using ethanol blend in aircraft

In India, in an effort to meet the government’s call to increase the use of biofuels, the Indian Air Force will start using ethanol blended air turbine fuel in its aircraft. A government official told Sputnik, “We have discussed the plan to use ethanol blended air turbine fuel on the Indian Air Force jet at length in the past. We hope by end of this year transport aircraft will fly using this fuel.”

Back in August, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that biofuels and ethanol blending could help the country save $1.7 billion a year on import bills and led a call to action to support more biofuels in the country. Earlier this year, the government approved a new policy that expanded the feedstocks that could be used for ethanol production, India flew it’s first biofuel-powered civilian aircraft, and India’s oil minister announced that 12 biorefineries were being set up to reach `0% ethanol blending.