On May 4, 2021, the Union Minister of Petroleum Shri Dharmendra Pradhan flagged off the first supply of used cooking oil-based biodiesel. It was launched under the Expression of Interests Scheme.
Expression of Interest Scheme
-
It was launched in 2019.
-
It was launched for the procurement of bio diesel produced from used cooking oil.
-
It mainly aims to create a system for collection and conversion of Used Cooking Oil into biodiesel.
-
Between August 2019 and November 2020, that is, during the first phase of the scheme, eleven Expression of Interests were received.
What is the plan?
To begin with 7% biodiesel extracted from the Used Cooking Oil is to be doped in diesel.
Why Bio-diesel?
Biodiesel is an alternate to “fossil fuels”. Bio diesel can be produced from animal fats, vegetable oil, waste cooking oil. Also, the main advantage of using bio-diesel is its carbon-neutrality. Also, it is completely non-toxic, biodegradable.
Current Scenario
So far, the Indian Oil has issued 23 Letter Of Interests for Biodiesel plants with total capacity of 22.95 crores of litres.
Currently, India produces 23 million tonnes of edible oil annually. Of this, three million tonnes of oil is discarded after use. This is addressed to as the Used Cooking Oil. India has potential to generate 222 crore litres of Used Cooking Oil. Unfortunately, India lags a structure to collect this waste cooking oil.
Way Forward
The feedstock availability in biodiesel is a challenge. Thus, using Used Cooking Oil will help India achieve its target of 5% Biodiesel blending at the earliest.