News On Air | Bio Energy Summit 2023- ‘Energy Transition- Solution for a Sustainable Tomorrow’

Jan 12,2023

To provide an opportunity for innovators and a way forward for clean and green energy solutions in the future, the Bio Energy Summit was held on January 12, 2023, in New Delhi. The Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Hardeep S. Puri, addressed the 11th edition of the Confederation of Indian Industry’s flagship event, the Bio Energy Summit.

Theme

With the focus on finding clean and efficient solutions, the Bio Energy Summit 2023 is a platform for stakeholders to collaborate, develop, and discuss innovative solutions to ensure the sustainable and inclusive development of the energy sector in India. The theme of the Bio Energy Summit 2023 is ‘Energy Transition- Solution for a Sustainable Tomorrow.’

 India to achieve 20% ethanol blending in petrol by 2025

”India has increased the ethanol blending in petrol from 1.53% in 2013-14 to 10.17% in July 2022,” Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri remarked.

The Minister added that the government’s strategy of setting up 2G refineries to make ethanol from Parali (Panipat) and Bamboo (Numaligarh) with the dual objective of reducing pollution along with achieving energy security goals is another milestone in this direction.

About ethanol projects, the Minister has said that India will achieve 20% ethanol blending in petrol by 2025. On January 10, he informed that the government is setting up five 2nd generation ethanol biorefineries in the country. These are at Panipat in Haryana, Bathinda in Punjab, Bargarh in Odisha, Numaligarh in Assam, and Devangere in Karnataka.

India’s Green Hydrogen policy

The Indian government has enacted Green Hydrogen Policy with a production target of 5 million tonnes by 2030. India’s Green Hydrogen policy which was announced in February 2022, is a revolutionary shift that is set to make India a global hub for green hydrogen and green ammonia production.

India aims to produce 4 MT Green Hydrogen annually and  accrue Rs. 1 lakh crore of cumulative fossil fuel import savings by 2030.  The Minister informed that working with companies in countries like the UK and Germany for the domestic manufacture of electrolysers to make deployment of Hydrogen as an energy source affordable is underway.

 ‘Net Zero Target’ by 2070

Discussing India’s journey of energy transition to achieve its ‘Net Zero Target’, Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said that India is undertaking an ambitious journey of energy transition to achieve its ‘Net Zero Target’ by 2070. However, for the transition to be stable and consistent, it is imperative that the accessibility and affordability aspects of energy remain intact.

Build momentum for the G20 Summit

Under India’s G20 Presidency, the Bio Energy Summit 2023 is a big opportunity to jumpstart more action across the country and build the momentum for the G20 summit. It discusses solutions to the challenges that the world is currently facing, including climate change and sustainable development. While the bioenergy sector is one of the ways to create solutions for a sustainable tomorrow, it needs to be integrated into global trade policies.

Under India’s G20 Presidency, two of the engagement groups, i.e., Science 20 and Urban 20, are based on developing a sustainable future. Urban 20 focuses on the SDGs and the impact of climate change on cities.

India’s emerging energy requirement

The reason behind finding solutions for the future is the presence of emerging energy requirements in India, driven by population growth and economic development. The Summit also discusses the importance of biofuel in the broader sustainability agenda.

India, home to more than a billion people, has a massive demand for energy to fuel its rapidly growing economy. India’s ability to secure affordable, clean, and reliable energy for its growing population is essential for the economy’s future development. It aims to avoid the carbon-intensive path taken by other countries before, recognising that decarbonization is one way towards sustainable development.

Around 500 delegates, including CEOs, policy makers, academia and researchers, innovators, diplomats, and investors came together to discuss and deliberate solutions for sustainability and development in the energy sector. More than 30 speakers across six sessions focusing on compressed biogas, ethanol, financing, and waste to biofuels, besides ministerial sessions, addressed the CII Bio-Energy Summit 2023.