Bengaluru: Karnataka government officials are working with Oil Manufacturing Companies (OMCs) to raise ethanol blending in petrol to to lower the dependence on fossil fuels, reports The New Indian Express.
Dr G N Dayananda, Manager, KSBDB said, “At present a private company from Karnataka is undertaking trials on 85 per cent ethanol blend as is being done in buses in Nagpur (Maharashtra). We can follow this in Karnataka also. Steadily increase in ethanol blending will not affect engines and it does not require special calibrations.”
The central government has set a target to increase ethanol blending to 25% by 2025, but the Karnataka government is planning to achieve a higher target and is discussing it with OMCs. Also, the country’s third largest sugarcane-producing state is coming up with a new ethanol policy that will help farmers earn more profits.
The state government is promoting ethanol production by providing facilities as well as subsidies. Banks are also providing loans for setting up ethanol plants.
Many companies are keen to invest in ethanol projects in Karnataka. Recently, state government had approved many ethanol projects to uplift the biofuel production.
