Question : Methanol Production Capacity

(a) whether the Government has organized any summit to bring new and sustainable technologies in the engineering and manufacturing sector;

(b) if so, the details thereof;

(c) the details of the Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL)-built Coal to Methanol (CTM) pilot plant;

(d) whether methanol is a good option as an alternative fuel and if so, the details thereof;

(e) the present installed methanol production capacity of the country; and

(f) the steps taken by the Government to escalate the installed methanol production capacity in the country?

THE MINISTER OF HEAVY INDUSTRIES
(DR. MAHENDRA NATH PANDEY)

(a) to (f): A statement is laid on the Table of the House.

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STATEMENT
Statement referred to in reply to parts (a) to (f) of Lok Sabha Starred Question No. 464 for 05.04.2022 asked by Shri Jagdambika Pal regarding “Methanol Production Capacity”.

(a) to (b): Ministry of Heavy Industries (MHI) organized round table to promote electric mobility on 4th December, 2021. Issues linked to successful implementation of Production Linked Incentive (PLI) on Auto & Auto components and Advance Chemistry Cell (ACC) were deliberated. Ministers & Secretaries of different States attended the round table. Various industry leaders of Auto sector also participated in the round table.
(c): Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) has established a pilot-scale 0.25 metric tons per day methanol plant in Hyderabad which is generating methanol from high ash Indian coal. The plant demonstrates indigenously developed fluidised bed gasification technology suitable for high ash Indian coal so as to produce syngas from coal. Syngas is then converted to methanol.
(d): Methanol as an alternative fuel for automobiles is under trials in the country.
(e): As per annual report of Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals for the year 2021-22, the installed methanol production capacity of the country for the year 2020-21 is 4.74 Lakh MT per annum.
(f): Same as (c) above.
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