560 kilolitres of ethanol needed per annum: Deora

New Delhi, May 15 (UNI) Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Murli Deora today said the country needs 560 kilolitres of ethanol per annum to carry out the Ethanol-Blended Petrol (EPB) programmes.

The Government is also considering to increase the blended petrol ratio currently at five per cent to 10 per cent based on availability.

''So far, we have not imported any Ethanol and the entire EBP programme is based on Ethanol produced within the country,'' Mr Deora said while inaugurating a filing .

Ethanol-Blended Petrol is a green fuel that reduces the atmospheric impact of fossil fuels, and is becoming increasingly popular in several countries, including Brazil, the United States and Europe.

Liquid Ethanol or Ethyl Alcohol, is produced by fermenting almost any material that contains starch, such as potatoes, sugarcane, corn, etc.

The Ministry had initiated the programme of blending five per cent Ethanol with petrol as a multi-pronged benefit to the country. Initial trials were carried out at Manmad and Miraj in Maharashtra and at Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh.

Subsequently, the first phase of EBP was launched from January 1, 2003 in nine sugarcane producing states such as Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu and four Union Territories like Daman-Diu, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Pondichery and Chandigarh.

However, due to drought and flood conditions during 2003-04 and 2004-05, availability of Ethanol became inconsistent. With good monsoon during 2005-06, there was a bumper crop in sugarcane and availability of Ethanol has increased considerably.

''Sugar manufacturer associations approached our Ministry for re-launching the EBP programme on an all-India basis. They have also assured that sufficient quantity of Ethanol will be available to the oil companies on a sustained basis and that the EBP programme should be extended on an all-India basis,'' the Minister added.

''We have reviewed the proposal of Ethanol manufacturers and issued notifications for implementation of EBP on all-India basis except in Jammu and Kashmir, North-Eastern states, Andaman and Nicobar and Lakshdweep where Ethanol cannot be made available due to logistic reasons,'' Mr Deora said.

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