SIAM Hosts 3rd International Conference on World Biofuel Day 2024

The Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) under its जैविक पहल (Bio-initiative) successfully organized the 3rd International Conference on World Biofuel Day 2024 themed ऊर्जा क्रांति, उर्जित स्वराज (The Biofuel Revolution in India: Fueling Tomorrow). The landmark event brought together global and national experts, policymakers, and industry leaders to discuss the critical role of biofuels in India's sustainable energy transition and the broader implications for the Indian automotive industry.

The conference commenced with the inaugural session titled “Catalysing the Indian Biofuel Story for the Global Arena,” moderated by Mr. Prashant K Banerjee, Executive Director, SIAM. Welcoming the attendees and setting the tone for the day, he said," There are three C’s collaboration, communication, competency that defines India’s biofuel journey. India has embraced E20 economy, and its collaborative efforts is manifested by strong cooperation that the sector is receiving from the global partners. "

The conference was honored by H.E. Mr. Kenneth Félix Haczynski da Nóbrega, Ambassador of the Federative Republic of Brazil as the Chief Guest. In his address, he stated,” Driven by our shared vision for a sustainable future, Brazil’s ethanol expertise and India’s progress in decarbonization align with our goal of 20-25% biofuel use. The Collaboration between India and Brazil sets a global example in the energy transition, emphasizing inclusivity and cost-effective bioenergy solutions. Major investments and technology transfers between our nations will be key to advancing sustainable mobility and achieving long-term climate goals."

Mr. Rohit Mathur, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Government of India stated," Today’s success is the result of the collective efforts of multiple ministries under the visionary leadership of Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. We are poised to see significant progress in the next five years as we advance biofuels and fully utilize domestic resources. The ethanol program is benefiting farmers, saving foreign exchange, and transforming the ecosystem. We urge investment in advanced biofuels to further boost ethanol production and emphasize the need for a mass awareness campaign to educate the public on flex-fuel and ethanol percentages."

Mr. K.C. Sharma, Chief Engineer (MVL) at the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, Government of India, and Guest of Honour at the conference stated, "Achieving net-zero emissions by 2070 is a national commitment with biofuels being crucial to this goal. We have increased ethanol blending from 1.4% in 2013-14 to nearly 20% today, thanks to the collaborative efforts of fuel providers, vehicle manufacturers, and component suppliers. We are advancing towards testing new bio-ethanol solutions with prototypes already on Indian roads."

Mr. Vikram S. Kasbekar, Executive Director of Hero MotoCorp Ltd. and SIAM Executive Committee Member, set the stage for discussions on mobility initiatives with a keynote address saying,” The industry will be ready soon to rollout the flex fuel vehicles but their off-take is important. The energy content in ethanol is less than that of petrol. We have to consider what value the customer will get in adopting to ethanol and ensure that the customers benefit.”

Dr. Reji Mathai, Director of the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) said,” "Marking a significant milestone in our commitment to advancing biofuel integration and reducing emissions, India is able to achieve E20 compliance with BS VI standards".

Mr. Sujoy Choudhury, Director at Indian Oil Corporation Ltd, followed with their insights saying,” India needs to ensure the biofuel growth is equitable and sustainable. Oil manufacturing companies have increased their tankage by ten-fold to support the biofuel journey. Today, Ethanol moves through various modes of transport including pipelines, railways, and roadways.”

Mr. Mandava Prabhakar Rao, President of the Indian Sugar & Bio-energy Manufacturers Association (ISMA) said," Sugarcane is the most efficient crop in terms of water and land utilization. Currently, only 15% of sugarcane is converted to ethanol, but increasing this by 10% only would allow the Indian sugarcane industry to meet 55% of the country’s ethanol demand”.

The conference also featured the release of the Context Paper on “Biofuels in India: Current Scenario and the Road Ahead.

In his closing remarks, Mr. Rajesh Menon, Director General of SIAM remarked, "The inaugural session has highlighted India’s significant achievements in the biofuel sector and brought attention to the need for collaborative efforts for future advancements in biofuel. We must build on this foundation and drive the mobility sector towards a sustainable and impactful future".

Thematic Session 1, titled “Biofuel Demand and Supply Management: Bridging the Gap,” was moderated by Mr. Ashim Sharma, Sr. Partner from Nomura Research Institute. The session featured the SIAM Sukh Da Saah Sustainability Initiative and the release of the report “Sukh Da Saah – SIAM Initiative on Crop Residue Management.” Mr. Alok Sharma, Director (R&D) of Indian Oil Corporation discussed advancements in biofuel R&D; Mr. Anurag Saraogi, Chief General Manager, Bharat Petroleum Corporation presented critical operational strategies for developing storage capacity and dispensing of the fuel; Mr. Rajagopal Manohar, Head of Technical Service and Innovation, Novonesis, spoke on technological innovations beyond development of ethanol biofuel; Mr. Ashok Singh, Assistant Vice President, Regreen-Excel EPC focused on technologies for supply chain optimization; and Mr. Amit Agrawal, Senior Vice President, Bajaj Hindusthan Sugar Ltd. detailed the sugar industry’s role in biofuel production.

Mr. Som Kapoor, Future of Mobility Leader, EY Parthenon moderated the Thematic Session 2 titled “Preparing the Auto Industry for a Flex Fuel Future,” focusing on assessing the sector's preparedness for flexible fuel vehicles, which included insightful presentations from panelists. Mr. Vikram Gulati, Country Head & Executive Vice President (Corporate Affairs & Governance), Toyota Kirloskar Motor shared strategies for development of hybrid flex vehicles in the country, while Mr. Sameer Sinha, CEO, Triveni Engineering & Industries addressed engineering challenges related to production of ethanol. Ms. Shweta Saini, Founder & CEO, Arcus Policy Research discussed the regulatory landscape on ethanol production and feedstock cultivation, and Mr. Krishnan Sadagopan, Sr. Vice President, Ashok Leyland & Board of Director IOCL, and Mr. Harjeet Singh, Executive Adviser (Tech), Hero MotoCorp Ltd and Presentation by Prof. K A Subramanian, Head of Department, Energy Science and Engineering, IIT Delhi spoke on technical readiness of the OEMs to launch flex fuel vehicles in the country.

Thematic Session 3, ‘Building a Resilient Ecosystem for the Adoption of Biofuels,’ focused on the critical steps needed to support biofuel ecosystem development in India. Moderated by Mr. Raman Jha, Executive Director at PwC, the session featured key insights from industry leaders. Mr. Y. B. Ramakrishna, Member – Working Group on Biofuels at MoPNG discussed necessary policy frameworks introduced by the government for development of ethanol value chain, while Mr. Rafik Mankad, CMD, Biotexus Energy Pvt Ltd and Mr. R. Ramaprabhu, Head of Fluid Technology, Mahindra & Mahindra talked about role of industry in adoption of higher blends of biofuels. Contributions from Sqn Ldr Ankur Naik Director, Punjab Renewable Energy Systems Pvt. Ltd, Mr. Ashish Kumar, Managing Director, Verbio India and Mr. Rajneesh Agarwal, Secretary General, UP Distillers Association (UPDA) emphasized the need to adopt renewable energy solutions, develop robust and scalable ethanol supply chain for fulfilment of decarbonisation goals. The session wrapped up with a call for stronger collaboration and technological innovation among the industry stakeholders from Dr. Prabhakar Thakur, HoD (Hydrocarbon Efficiency & New Energy), Directorate General of Hydrocarbons, Govt. of India and Dr. S. D. Singh, Senior Advisor, Biodiesel Association of India.

SIAM, along with its members, has been actively working with governments, corporations, and other stakeholders to boost adoption of clean fuels in response to emissions from the road transportation, in line with SIAM’s mission of Building the Nation Responsibly.