The Minister of state in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Suresh Gopi, in a written reply in Lok Sabha informed that since launch, Global Biofuels Alliance (GBA) has garnered enormous support globally as its current membership has expanded to 24 members countries and 12 International Organizations with a trajectory of on-going growth.
GBA was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with the leaders of USA, Brazil, Italy, Argentina, Singapore, Bangladesh, Mauritius and UAE on 9th September 2023, on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in New Delhi, as Chair’s initiative.
GBA is a multi-stakeholder alliance of Governments, International Organizations and Industries, bringing together the biggest consumers and producers of biofuels. GBA is intended to facilitate capacity-building exercises, technical support for national programs, policy lessons-sharing, technology advancements, and implementation of internationally recognized standards & codes through participation of a wide spectrum of stakeholders. Till date, three meetings of the Temporary Executive Committee (TEC) of the GBA, i.e. a committee of member countries responsible for proposing the establishment of the GBA, have been held. During the TEC meetings, the immediate initiatives of GBA have also been defined including Biofuels Workshop series and Biofuels Country Landscapes (Policy Framework).
GBA has also significantly enhanced its presence on the global pedestal by representation at international forums such as COP28 (Dubai), World Economic Forum (Switzerland), India Energy Week 2024 and World Biogas Summit 2024 (UK). GBA was also invited as an International Organization to the Energy Transitions Working Group (ETWG) meeting under the G20 presidency of Brazil and at International Forum on Sustainable Biofuels under the Italian G7 Presidency.
GBA aims at, inter alia, providing additional opportunities to Indian industries by positioning India as a knowledge base and as a production hub for biofuels including ethanol, Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) and Compressed Bio Gas (CBG) etc. An active role in GBA helps elevate India’s position in the global biofuels sector.
(Source: PIB)
