Suresh Gopi, the Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas of India, recently shared information on the current feedstock base and the quantity of bio-diesel being produced across various states, in response to an unstarred question in the Lok Sabha.
He stated, “The National Policy on Biofuels-2018, revised in 2022, outlines a range of feedstocks for bio-diesel production, which include non-edible oilseeds, used cooking oil (UCO), animal tallow, acid oil, short gestation non-edible oil-rich crops, and algal feedstock, among others. Currently, 107 plants are registered with Public Sector Oil Marketing Companies for bio-diesel supply.”
The minister also provided the state-wise details of these plants, along with their respective production capacities.
Regarding the involvement of the private sector, he added, “Bio-diesel production plants are established by private sector project proponents, based on the commercial and economic feasibility of the project. At present, there is no plan to implement the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model for bio-diesel production.”
