Biofuels to complement, not replace fossil fuels at least until 2040: BPCL's ED Saraogi

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], July 1 (ANI): Fossil fuels will continue to play a dominant role in meeting India's energy needs over the next 10-15 years, with biofuels and other alternative energy sources expected to complement rather than replace them, according to Anurag Saraogi, Executive Director (Biofuels), BPCL.
Speaking to ANI, Saraogi said biofuels have emerged as an integral component of the global energy security framework, with countries pursuing multiple pathways to achieve energy transition.
"Biofuels are an integral component of the global energy security platform. There are multiple energy transition paths which are being followed, and biofuels are one of them," he said.
Highlighting India's progress in the sector, Saraogi said the country has made significant strides in ethanol blending since beginning the programme in 2003 and has now achieved the milestone of 20 per cent ethanol blending.
"India is also not new to adopting it. There is a huge ethanol journey that India has taken since 2003," he said.
He added that India is also advancing in the compressed biogas segment, backed by various government initiatives, while discussions are underway to promote sustainable aviation fuel for the aviation sector.
"In compressed biogas also, we are moving ahead, and there are a lot of available schemes which are available to prosper... there is a dialogue about sustainable aviation fuel for the aviation side also," he said.
Saraogi, however, underlined that biofuels and other clean energy sources are unlikely to displace fossil fuels in the foreseeable future. Instead, they will increasingly complement the conventional energy basket as the transition gathers pace.
"India has already done 20 per cent of ethanol blending... right up to 2035-2040, this journey of biofuels or any other alternative energy would not be so much that it replaces the fossil fuels," he said, indicating that fossil fuels will continue to remain a key part of the energy mix for the next 10-15 years while biofuels gain a larger share. (ANI)