Emami Agrotech facilitates India's first retail sale of biodiesel from Haldia, New Delhi

 

Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister of State, Petroleum and Natural Gas, Government of India on Monday inaugurated four biodiesel retail outlets in India beginning from the industrial town of Haldia along with New Delhi, Vijayawada and Vishakhapatnam via videoconferencing from Delhi promoting usage of biodiesel fuel for a pollution-free environment.

As per the Government policy, Oil Marketing Companies (OMCS) will supply 5% of biodiesel through pumps blending it with 95% of diesel. Emami Agrotech Ltd which is producing biodiesel of BIS standard will be supplying biodiesel to the pumps in Haldia and New Delhi.  As per the distribution plans of the OMCs in the State, efforts are on to make blended bio-diesel fuel available in around 20 pumping stations across various locations of West Bengal.

“We are proud to share today that Emami Agrotech Ltd is all set to create a new place in India’s green energy map. With the support from the Central Government for biodiesel, we are planning to up our ante with advanced R&D to maximize the manufacturing to its optimal level. With the continued support from the Government, we are hoping for an increasing adoption of biodiesel amongst allied quarters like ports, transport sector, railways and industries. It is also a cost effective and greener alternative for the farmers of India who will get highly benefitted with the increased use of biodiesel in this country,” said Aditya V. Agarwal, Director, Emami Group.

Emami Agrotech supplies biodiesel to the Haldia port to run vehicles, cranes and trucks, through a bio-diesel dispensing machine which commenced its operation this year. Very recently, Emami Agrotech Limited has also started supplying bio-diesel of BIS standard to Indian Railways.

Emami Agrotech Limited set up a state-of-the-art multi-feed Biodiesel plant at Haldia in technical collaboration with Desmet Ballestra, an Italian major in 2006. The plant manufactures biodiesel conforming to EN and BIS standards. It has daily production capacity of 300 tonnes of biodiesel presently. The plant is well connected with Haldia Port and state highways for easy transportation to international and domestic market.

India has a biodiesel capacity of around 1.2 MnT (Million Tonnes) / year. However, due to lack of awareness, the current operating capacity is only 0.1 MnT per year. Retail availability of biodiesel fuel will be of immense significance to create increased awareness among consumers and expand the usage penetration of this green fuel.  Biodiesel is considered ‘climate neutral’ because of its sequestration during consumption. This cost-effective fuel is environment-friendly, resulting in low emission of unburned chemicals which is why the Union Government is supporting its increased usage.