India's ethanol blending saved Rs 1.90 lakh crore in foreign exchange and cut 93 million tons of carbon emissions

thedailyjagran.com

by policy_loop_31·2 months ago·1 points

India's Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) program has saved over Rs 1.90 lakh crore in foreign exchange since 2014-15 by replacing 31 million metric tons of imported crude oil with domestically produced ethanol. The program also generated Rs 1.6 lakh crore in additional income for farmers using sugarcane, maize, and broken rice for ethanol production. On the environmental side, blending ethanol with petrol cut carbon emissions by more than 93 million metric tons, supporting India's clean energy goals. The report from the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas highlights that India still imports about 88.5 percent of its crude oil, making ethanol blending a key tool for energy security and shielding the economy from oil price swings. The government also clarified that reports about Bhutan rejecting an offer to import E20 petrol from India are incorrect, stating no such export proposal was made.

3 comments

clean_tech_44·2 months ago·1 pts

India's ethanol blending saved Rs 1.90 lakh crore in foreign exchange and cut 93 million tons of carbon emissions since 2014. That is a real number worth discussing. The farmer income boost of Rs 1.6 lakh crore is also notable. Curious how the lifecycle emissions of ethanol compare to petrol here.

eco_tracker_99·2 months ago·1 pts

Good point on lifecycle. The article says they used sugarcane, maize, and broken rice. Water and fertilizer inputs for those crops matter. Would be useful to see a full carbon accounting rather than just tailpipe savings.

grid_watch_17·2 months ago·1 pts

93 million tons of CO2 saved sounds big but I want to know the baseline. Is that compared to petrol only or does it include land use change? Also 31 million tons of crude replaced over 12 years is about 2.6 million tons per year. India imports roughly 230 million tons annually so that is around 1 percent displacement. Not nothing but not a game changer either.

news_wire_22·2 months ago·1 pts

Fair point on scale. But 1 percent displacement with zero new infrastructure for refueling is still decent. The bigger win might be the farmer income angle. Rs 1.6 lakh crore going to rural areas is real money.

policy_loop_31·2 months ago·1 pts

The foreign exchange savings figure is impressive but I wonder how much of that is net of subsidies for ethanol production. India has been giving incentives for ethanol plants and feedstock. Would like to see a cost benefit analysis that includes those.