We often imagine a future where climate, sustainability, and environmental concerns become a crucial part of our everyday lives. That fiction is achievable, and necessary steps are being taken today. These current efforts include the use of biofuels and eco-friendly materials that cause no damage to the environment. Ethanol is one such promising commodity that the world is embracing at a rapid pace. Even the Government of India has introduced revolutionary initiatives like the EBP programme, which gave a boost to the high quality ethanol manufacturers across the nation. This blog will share a detailed analysis of how the Ethanol Blended Petrol or EBP Programme is changing the way of running an economy and making India self-reliant by producing Ethanol in India.
What is Ethanol Blending?
Ethanol is basically a plant-based biofuel that is blended with traditional fuel, i.e., petrol. The derived product is a cleaner burning fuel that cuts CO2 emissions to a great extent. Ethanol blended petrol is a more sustainable option that the government also aims to increase the ratio of the blend to 20 percent by the end of this year. The aim was set to be 2030 initially.
Key Benefits of Taking a Leap towards Independence
EBP programme is a government initiative that aims to provide fuel alternatives to the multiplying population. The ethanol manufacturing companies in India are working to strengthen the current situation of India’s energy sector. Let us try to understand it with the help of some key benefits.
1. Becoming Less Dependent on Imported Fuel
India has been importing crude oil from foreign countries because we are not able to extract it in huge amounts like them. Hence, ethanol is a good alternative that is bringing down our dependence on imported fuel. This domestically produced biofuel has already helped us save as much as a trillion dollars in foreign exchange over the last couple of years. We have successfully replaced 181 lakh metric tonnes of crude oil in the last decade.
2. More Rural Employment
The Indian farmers are now able to sell their surplus as well as damaged food grains to high quality ethanol manufacturers for biofuel production. Even distilleries and agro-processing industries are partnering with these farmers to sell their sugarcane and maize crops. The government has set an MSP even for the damaged crop because one can still procure ethanol from the same.
3. Promoting Sustainable Agriculture and Stable Income
Water intensive farming of rice and wheat is a very common practice in the Indian subcontinent. It is being replaced by less water consuming crops like maize and sorghum. The government has also intervened to allow the Food Corporation of India to directly procure the season’s fresh produce from the farmers for ethanol production. It has further paved the path for a stable income for these farmers.
4. Making a Robust Automobile Infrastructure
It is a well-renowned knowledge that more blending of ethanol requires advanced vehicle technology that is suitable for this mixture. And ethanol manufacturing companies in India further require strong fuel distribution networks to produce premium quality products. The country needs E20-compliant engines and more PSU outlets which the automobile sector is paying more attention to.
Conclusion
There is nothing more proud for a developing nation like India to become independent once again. And the government initiatives like the EBP programme are another step towards that. There are a few more initiatives that the GOI introduced over the last decade which include the PM-JI-VAN Yojana and the National Bio-Energy Programme along with the National Bio-Energy Mission and National Green Mobility Strategy. Let us see how fast we get there, towards a completely self-reliant country.
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