February 28, 2019
IEA Bioenergy TCP aims to boost cooperation between countries that have programmes in bioenergy R&D and deployment
The Energy Ministry’s goal behind joining the IEA Bioenergy TCP is to facilitate introduction of advanced biofuels in India
India has been efforting to increase stake of biofuels in the national energy mix to bring down emissions, reduce crude imports
Given India’s growing fuel consumption, the biofuels industry can attain a valuation of more than US$15 billion by 2020
India’s Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has joined the International Energy Agency’s Technology Collaboration Programme on Bioenergy as its 25th member, as per a Governmental announcement on February 28. The bloc, IEA Bioenergy TCP, aims to boost cooperation and information exchange between countries that have national programmes in bioenergy research, development and deployment. The Bioenergy TCP functions under the framework of the IEA with which India has had an association since March, 2017. The Energy Ministry’s goal behind joining the IEA Bioenergy TCP is to facilitate introduction of advanced biofuels in India.
Government of India has been efforting to increase production and utilisation of biofuels in the national energy mix to to bring down emissions as well as reduce crude imports. IEA Bioenergy TCP can help that effort through international collaboration in bioenergy research, technology development, and policy analysis with a focus on overcoming the environmental, institutional, technological, social, and market barriers to the near-and long-term deployment of bioenergy technologies. The R&D work at Bioenergy TCP is carried out carried out within well-defined 3-years programmes called “Tasks” that are routinely scrutinised for application.
Under India’s participation, technical team from Government-controlled oil marketing companies will contribute to the Tasks participated by the Energy Ministry. The benefits of participation in IEA Bioenergy TCP include shared costs and pooled technical resources as well as exposure to R&D focussing on biogas, solid waste management, biorefining, among others. The Union Cabinet had approved the National Biofuels Policy – 2018. Given the nation’s massive fuel usage, the biofuels industry can attain a valuation of over US$15 billion by 2020. India’s three largest state-run oil refiners have planned to invest US$2 billion to raise biofuel capacity.
The other members of the IEA Bioenergy TCP include Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, South Korea, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, UK, US, and the European Commission.