Bharat Petroleum can meet new 10% biofuel target by 2022 with new feedstock addition

In India, Outlook India reports that Bharat Petroleum, which is the national coordinator for ethanol blending by state-owned refiners, is confident of meeting the new government target of blending 10 percent biofuel with petrol by 2022 with the latest addition of maize to the approved feedstock list for biofuel.

“State-run oil marketers are required to blend 10 per cent ethanol in petrol under the national policy on biofuels 2018 by 2022 and 20 per cent by 2030,” according to Outlook India. “But so far this has not been moving at scale as surplus sugarcane was not easily available and the blending is only 5 per cent now. To improve supplies of ethanol-blended petrol, the government has widened the feedstock options. Accordingly, the National Biofuel Coordination Committee of the oil ministry in June allowed the conversion of surplus rice with the Food Corporation into ethanol. And on Monday (November 16) it also allowed procurement and conversion of the surplus maze into ethanol.”

“We are on our way to achieving ethanol blending target of 10 per cent for petrol by 2022, as additional sources for ethanol have been added now,” Singh told PTI on Tuesday.

He said currently OMCs are able to blend only 5 per cent or 180 crore litres of ethanol and blamed the lower blending to the shortage of sugarcane last year due to the drought in many regions of key sugarcane producing states. But this year sugar production is expected to be surplus due to the good monsoons, he added.

Singh expects ethanol blending will rise to 7.5-8 per cent or 325-350 crore litres in 2021 and 10 per cent or 370 crore litres in 2022 with more feedstock to choose from.