(a) whether the Government has taken measures to set up bio-refineries in the country for ethanol-blending and if so, the details thereof;
(b) whether the Government has taken note of and addressed apprehensions of some States regarding ethanol blending and if so, the details thereof; and
(c) the steps taken by the Government to reduce the import dependency of the country on oil and natural gas?
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF PETROLEUM & NATURAL GAS
(SHRI RAMESWAR TELI)
(a): Government has notified Pradhan Mantri JI-VAN Yojana (PMJY) for promoting Second Generation (2G) ethanol production from cellulosic and lignocellulosic including petrochemical route in the country by providing financial support. Oil Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) are setting up Second Generation (2G) ethanol bio-refineries in the country at Panipat in Haryana, Bathinda in Punjab, Bargarh in Odisha, Numaligarh in Assam and one demonstration project at Panipat.
(b): To increase ethanol availability in deficit areas in the country, Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) had floated Expression of Interest (EoI) for setting up dedicated ethanol plants in ethanol deficit States under the Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) Programme. Based on EoI, OMCs have signed long term off-take agreement with 131 bidders in these ethanol deficit States which will encourage investment, create employment and increase income of farmers.
(c):The measures taken by the Government to reduce import dependency on oil and natural gas include a number of policy initiatives for increase in domestic crude oil production by generating quality geo-scientific data and its easy access, awarding new exploration acreage, expediting production from new development acreages and focus on production maximization from existing production acreages. The Government has promoted usage of biofuel in the country by notification of the National Policy on Biofuels (NPB) - 2018 which allows use of multiple feedstocks for producing bio-ethanol for increased supply of ethanol for blending with petrol. The Pradhan Mantri JI-VAN Yojana complements this Policy. The encouraging response on supply side of ethanol has prompted the Government to advance the target of 20% ethanol blending in petrol in the country from 2030 to 2025-26.
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