India’s Rs 1.7 lakh crore fuel crisis may have found an unlikely fix – water

As India struggles with rising oil import costs, Monaco-based FOWE Eco Solutions claims its Cavitech fuel emulsion technology can cut fuel use, lower emissions, and improve industrial efficiency using water-based fuel emulsions without engine modifications, offering potential economic and environmental benefits for energy-intensive sectors

New Delhi: As India battles soaring energy import costs and a weakening rupee amid global oil turmoil, a Monaco-based fuel technology company says it may have found an answer hiding in plain sight: water.

FOWE Eco Solutions, through its patented Cavitech fuel emulsion technology, claims industries can slash fuel consumption by up to 10 per cent, reduce harmful emissions dramatically, and improve equipment performance – all without modifying engines or shutting plants down.

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The pitch comes at a critical time for India. The country imports nearly 88 per cent of its crude oil needs, while state-run oil firms are reportedly bleeding Rs 1,000 crore a day to shield consumers from global price shocks.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also publicly urged industries to conserve fuel as a national economic priority.

Now, FOWE says its technology can do exactly that.

At the heart of the system is a fuel-oil-water emulsion created using Controlled Cavitation Technology (CCT), which disperses microscopic water droplets inside fuel oil without using chemical additives, says its COO Hemant Sondhi.

When burned, those droplets trigger ‘microexplosions’ inside combustion chambers, shattering fuel into ultra-fine particles that burn more completely and efficiently.

The result, according to the company and independent test data, is lower fuel consumption, cleaner combustion, and sharply reduced emissions.

Sondhi said independent testing at Alfa Laval’s Denmark facility showed fuel savings of 6.3 per cent in boilers and 8.7 per cent in marine engines.

Ship trials on Scorpio Tankers vessels demonstrated bunker fuel savings of around 10 per cent, while Indian refinery and steel plant trials recorded fuel savings ranging from 3.6 per cent to 6 per cent.

No Chemicals, No Retrofit, No Downtime

What makes the technology particularly attractive for India’s energy-intensive sectors is that it does not require engine modification, hardware retrofit, or installation shutdown.

FOWE says its cavitation process also reduces the viscosity of heavy fuel oil without expensive cutter stock or chemical flow improvers – potentially freeing up higher-value diesel for sale while lowering pumping and heating costs.

The company claims the technology can also reduce NOx emissions by around 30 per cent, SOx emissions by nearly 40 per cent and particulate matter to near-zero levels.

It also says the process lowers fouling inside boilers and furnaces, extending maintenance intervals and reducing shutdown frequency.

India Trials Show Big Industrial Potential

FOWE has already conducted trials across Indian refineries, steel plants, power units, and industrial furnaces.

A recent steel plant trial reported a 5 per cent reduction in furnace fuel consumption alongside a 40 per cent cut in harmful emissions. IOC’s Haldia refinery trial reportedly confirmed fuel savings of up to 3.6 per cent in captive power operations, while tests at BPCL Mathura demonstrated viscosity and sulphur reduction benefits.

The implications for India’s thermal power sector could be significant.

Every coal-fired plant in the country relies on fuel oil during boiler start-ups, low-load operations, and shutdown cycles – phases notorious for high emissions and inefficient combustion. FOWE says its emulsion can immediately reduce fuel use during these periods without changing existing plant infrastructure.

A Forex Saver for India?

The company is positioning the technology not merely as a decarbonisation tool, but as a strategic economic lever for India.

“With India importing the vast majority of its crude oil, every litre saved directly protects foreign exchange reserves and reduces pressure on the rupee,” says Sondhi.

FOWE claims its technology is already validated by global maritime and engineering giants, including MAN Energy Solutions and Alfa Laval, with additional engagement from certification agencies such as DNV, ABS, TAÂœV and SGS.

For India’s refineries, steel makers, shipping operators and thermal power plants – all squeezed by volatile fuel prices and tightening emission norms – the appeal is obvious: lower fuel bills, cleaner emissions, and no costly overhaul.

In an economy where energy security and inflation are increasingly intertwined, a technology promising to save fuel with water may suddenly sound less improbable – and far more urgent.