Biofuel to play key role in India's energy transition: Hardeep Singh Puri
New Delhi, July 26
Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Hardeep Singh Puri, said on Sunday that transformative initiatives like the Biofuel Mission, Green Hydrogen Mission, and Samudra Manthan are steering India towards a new era of energy self-reliance.
The Union Minister highlighted that biofuel forms a crucial foundation of India's sustainable energy future, empowering farmers, reducing dependence on imported fuels, and giving fresh momentum to environmental conservation.
He said that in the next five years, the expansion of domestic energy production, integration of new technologies, and the resolve for 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat' will make India even stronger as a global energy power.
"Under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India is today advancing rapidly with full confidence towards energy transition," the Union Minister added.
"From 2014-15 up to May 2026, the ethanol blending with petrol programme has resulted in a saving of more than Rs 1.90 lakh crore in foreign exchange by substituting 310 lakh metric tonnes of imported crude oil and has generated additional earnings for farmers of more than Rs 1.6 lakh crore. Besides it has cut carbon emissions of more than 930 lakh metric tonnes," according to official figures.
"India imports close to 88.5 per cent of the crude oil it consumes which explains a great deal about why ethanol blending sits so high on the policy agenda. Every barrel of oil bought from abroad exposes the country to price swings and supply shocks that are entirely outside its control. Ethanol produced from Indian sugarcane, maize and rice offers a way to blunt that exposure using resources grown at home," according to an official statement.
Meanwhile, India's installed renewable energy capacity has increased nearly fourfold from 76.38 GW in 2014 to 288.58 GW as on June 30, 2026, according to information tabled by the government in Parliament last week.
Solar power leads in the country's renewable energy segment with an installed capacity of 162.15 GW followed by wind power at 57.44 GW and hydro power with 57.24. The remaining 11.75 GW is accounted for by bio power.
As of now, a total of 297.36 GW non-fossil fuel sources-based electricity capacity has been installed in the country as on June 30, 2026. This includes 288.58 GW renewable energy capacity and 8.78 GW nuclear power capacity, Minister of State for New and Renewable Energy Shripad Yesso Naik said in a written reply to a query in the Rajya Sabha.
— IANS
Reader Comments
As someone watching India's energy transition from abroad, the scale of the renewable capacity growth—from 76 GW to 289 GW in 12 years—is genuinely impressive. The ethanol foreign exchange savings of ₹1.9 lakh crore are a pragmatic win. Hope the infrastructure for distribution keeps pace with production targets.
The numbers around ethanol blending are solid—₹1.6 lakh crore extra income for farmers and 310 lakh tonnes of crude substitution. But I wish the minister had addressed challenges like feedstock price volatility and the impact on food grain availability. Aatmanirbhar in energy shouldn't mean compromising food security. 🤔
Good to see the government pushing biofuels alongside solar and wind. The 162 GW solar capacity is remarkable for a tropical country like ours. But 'Samudra Manthan' and similar initiatives need clearer roadmaps—right now it feels like we're hearing more about targets than execution details on the ground. Still, better direction than a decade ago.
Reducing 88.5% crude import dependency through homegrown biofuels is a smart geopolitical hedge. India's ethanol blending program is more advanced than many developing nations. The carbon savings of 930 lakh tonnes also show India walking the talk on climate commitments. Curious how second-generation biofuels from agricultural waste will scale up.
The progress since 2014 is undeniable—from 76 GW to 289 GW renewable capacity is a leap. But bio power at just 11.75 GW suggests we're underutilizing biomass potential, especially in rural India where agricultural waste is often burned. More decentralized bioenergy plants could create
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