The Times of India | Union petroleum minister Hardeep Singh Puri flags off low-carbon inland vessel on Brahmaputra

Jan 24,2023

 In the run-up to "India Energy Week 2023" in Bengaluru from February 6 to 8, Union petroleum minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Tuesday ceremonially flagged off a demo run of a low-carbon inland water vessel, powered by methanol-blended diesel (MD15), on the Brahmaputra river here.

The 50-seater marine vessel, "SB Gangadhar", is equipped with two Ruston-make diesel engines (each engine of 105 hp) and runs on 15% methanol-blended diesel.

Methanol is a low-carbon hydrogen carrier fuel produced from high-ash coal, agricultural residue, CO2 from thermal power plants and natural gas. It is the best pathway for meeting India's commitment to CO.

In an interaction with the media, Puri said: "In Assam, Assam Petrochemical Limited, Namrup, currently produces about 100 tonnes per day (TPD) of methanol and is implementing a new project for production of 500 TPD of methanol."

He added, "Work is in progress to set up coal-to-methanol plants in the country using indigenous technology, which is being developed by BHEL (Hyderabad and Trichy), Thermax, and IIT-Delhi."

Niti Aayog's "Methanol Economy" programme is aimed at reducing India's oil import bill, greenhouse gas emissions, and converting coal reserves and municipal solid waste into methanol. Methanol is a cost-effective alternative marine fuel.