Under the EBP Program, the government should encourage the use of ethanol produced from sugarcane and food grains.
Highlights:
The Government of India is implementing the Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) Programme through Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs), in which ethanol is blended into petrol to achieve the goals of reducing import dependence, promoting clean fuel, and boosting Agriculture-notes-for-state-psc-exams”>Agriculture.
The ethanol blended petrol program was launched in 2003 to promote the use of renewable and environmentally friendly fuels and reduce Indias import dependence on Energy Security.
The government has set a target of 10% ethanol blending by 2022 and 20% blending (E20) by 2030, starting with 5% blending.
The programme is being carried out in accordance with the National Biofuels Policy.
As part of this programme, oil marketing companies (OMCs) will purchase ethanol from domestic sources at government-set prices.
Until 2018, ethanol was produced solely from sugarcane. Now, the government has expanded the scope of the scheme to include maize, bajra, fruit and vegetable waste and other grains to produce ethanol.