The Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), in alignment with the GoI’s vision to promote the usage of biofuels for transportation, conducted an international conference on ‘Biofuels – A Pathway towards Sustainable Future’, at Hotel Taj Palace, New Delhi. The Conference was organised as a part of year-round activities to promote ethanol. The program witnessed participation from automotive industry experts, government officials, academia, and other stakeholder associations, including Brazil’s ambassador and experts.
The Conference was divided into three sessions, with a Minister Plenary Session on ‘A giant leap for biofuels – Ethanol blending & SATAT Scheme’, followed by the inaugural session on ‘Improving the urban air quality– Environmental Benefits of Biofuels’, and a panel discussion focusing on ‘Trends in Biofuel Production – Maturing into a Biofuel Economy’.
In his welcome address, Vinod Aggarwal, President, SIAM, CEO & MD, Volvo Eicher Commercial Vehicles, said, “I am happy to note that the Indian Automotive Industry is working closely with the government as we transition to sustainable transportation through the implementation of stringent emission standards and increased emphasis on alternate fuels. Biofuels like ethanol offer a Pathway towards a sustainable future which includes clean air and less dependence on imported oil, thereby supporting a more Aatmanirbhar Bharat.”
The Government of India has mandated SIAM to take promotional measures for ethanol in the country jointly with the Ministry of Heavy Industries (MHI) as a Transportation Fuel. The important deadlines decided for pan India implementation of E-20 are 2023 for vehicles to be material compliant and 2025 for vehicles to be fully E-20 compliant.
Chief Guest, Hon’ble Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, said, “It is essential to explore and promote alternative energy resources to reduce dependence on the import of fossil fuels. We intend to grow our 3 trillion dollar economy to 32 trillion dollars, and therefore, our energy requirements are bound to rise to account for lifestyle, trade, and manufacturing development. Additionally, environmental conservation is also critical to our developmental journey. Under the SATAT scheme, many entrepreneurs have established CBG plants to produce and supply CBG to Oil Marketing Companies. With the assistance of OMCs and other enthusiastic players, 37 CBG plants have been commissioned, and approximately 9000 tonnes of Compressed Biogas have already been sold. In order to make decarbonized mobility a reality, Indian automakers must stay on the path of sustainability.”
The Guest of Honour, His Excellency André Aranha Corrêa Do Lago, Ambassador of Brazil to India, mentioned about the strong partnership that India has built with Brazil on the journey to ethanol adoption.
In this conference on Biofuels, delegates shared knowledge best practices, experiences and disseminate learnings on biofuels, especially ethanol. In addition, issues related to emissions, GHGs, and decarbonization in the automotive sector were also discussed. The conference provided a glimpse of policies, and regulatory and legislative frameworks for biofuels and their usage to foster sustainable mobility.
Atsushi Ogata, President, CEO & MD, Honda Motorcycles & Scooters India, said, “Due to the advance information dissemination of all competitors in the market, the customer in India is extremely aware of the performance requirements and environmental footprints of the products available to them. Therefore they will need a very strong assurance from the product performance side and incentives from the policy side for ethanol adoption in the complete vehicle parc.”
Hon’ble Shri Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Minister of State, MoEF&CC, emphasised on “Aatmanirbharta”. He spoke about the need for a successful ethanol program to reduce its projected carbon emissions by one billion tonnes by 2030.
Setting the context, Pankaj Jain, Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, said that with the efforts made by the Government and energy industry stakeholders, the existing installed capacity of molasses-based distilleries has reached 426 cr. litres and likely to reach 1200 cr. litres for the effective target of 20% blending in gasoline.
Vikram Kasbekar, Executive Director, Hero Moto Corp Limited, gave a topical presentation on how the Indian automobile sector is gearing up for the incumbent changes due to biofuel adoption. Presenting his views, Dr S S V Ramakumar, Director – R&D, IOCL, laid down the contributions and responsibilities of Oil Marketing Companies in the adoption of low carbon fuels. The session also witnessed participation from C V Raman, Chairman SIAM ENC, CTO, Maruti Suzuki India Limited, and Dr Plinio Nastari, President, Datagro, Brazil.
The post-lunch session on ‘Trends in Biofuel Production – Maturing into a Biofuel Economy’ witnessed a series of presentations. Shantanu Gupta, Executive Director, Indian Oil Corporation Limited, presented his views on “Compressed Biogas (CBG) – The Future of Green Energy”. Evandro Gussi, President, UNICA, Brazil, gave his take on “Biofuel blending for Green Road Transportation: Learnings from Brazil”, and Atul Mulay, President (Bio Energy), Praj Industries, presented on “Bio Mobility”.
Over the years, SIAM has been engaging with governments, corporates, and various stakeholders in an effort to advocate new and innovative technologies, aligning with SIAM’s objective of ‘Building the Nation Responsibly’ including sustainable mobility and sustainable development goals, 2030.