Editorial: Tread cautiously

The recent inauguration of India’s first modern ethanol plant in Haryana’s Panipat, on the occasion of World Biofuel Day, marks an important milestone in the country’s transition to a low-carbon economy but, at the same time, food security concerns surrounding ethanol production must be addressed. India’s target to have 20% ethanol blended in petrol by […]

The recent inauguration of India’s first modern ethanol plant in Haryana’s Panipat, on the occasion of World Biofuel Day, marks an important milestone in the country’s transition to a low-carbon economy but, at the same time, food security concerns surrounding ethanol production must be addressed. India’s target to have 20% ethanol blended in petrol by 2025 will mean that more land has to be brought under the cultivation of raw material, and that may adversely affect food security. While there is no doubt that usage of ethanol-blended petrol would reduce carbon dioxide pollution and also help in reducing the country’s oil import bill, there is a need for a cautious and balanced approach so that there is no pressure on food crops. Ethanol can be blended into petrol to reduce the quantity of petrol required to run a vehicle, thus reducing dependency on imported, costly and polluting petroleum. Today, India imports 85% of its oil requirements. India’s net import of petroleum was 185 million tonnes in 2020-21 at a cost of $551 billion. Thus, increasing the ethanol content can help save $4 billion annually in terms of import bill. Besides, ethanol is less polluting and offers equivalent efficiency at a lower cost than petrol. Availability of large arable land and the required technology to produce ethanol from plant-based sources, and the feasibility of making vehicles compliant with ethanol-blended petrol are some of the supporting arguments used in the roadmap for E20, which refers to the target as not only a national imperative but also an important strategic requirement.

Currently, ethanol is made largely from sugarcane, rice and other foodgrains, which are mostly water-intensive crops. Raising the level of ethanol in petrol would reduce polluting emissions, but it would also increase the acreage under sugarcane for ethanol production. This could have potential ramifications for the environment. There is high usage of water in ethanol production, including the rainwater used by sugarcane plants as well as the water used to wash away pollutants. This could considerably deplete the country’s water resources. While ethanol blending is an important component of the energy strategy, the government must tread cautiously because the increased target for ethanol blending could incentivise water-intensive crops such as sugarcane and rice, thereby adversely impacting crop diversity. With many parts of India already facing an acute water shortage, it is important to strike the right balance between the two needs. India’s expanding sugarcane acreage is a big contributor to its acute water stress and poor crop diversification. There are other alternative feedstocks, such as agricultural waste and recycled cooking oil, which present more environmentally friendly ways to produce biofuel. Being one of the world’s biggest emitters of greenhouse gases, India has committed itself to cut down projected emissions by a billion tonnes by 2030.

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