The Hindu : National : Farooq warns oil companies

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Wednesday, Jan 06, 2010
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National

Farooq warns oil companies

Raktima Bose

KHARAGPUR: “Sad” that none of the oil companies in the country have voluntarily embarked on the ethanol-blended petrol programme even after being advised by the Centre in 2006,

Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Farooq Abdullah said here on Tuesday that the Prime Minister has taken a “strong decision” to make the programme mandatory for the oil companies, failing which they will be prosecuted.

Addressing the launching function of P. K. Sinha Centre for Bio-Energy at IIT Kharagpur via video-conference from Kolkata, Dr. Abdullah said: “According to the National Policy on Bio-fuels, we hope that a minimum five per cent blending will start in 2010 and will increase to 10 per cent by 2011.

A committee has been formed to look into the reasons why the blending programme has not yet been started by the oil companies.”

The National Policy on Bio-fuel prepared by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy got Cabinet nod last month had set an indicative target of 20 per cent by 2017 for the blending of bio-fuels.

Dr. Abdullah, however, pointed to reluctance of sugar mill owners to sell ethanol at Rs.21 per litre as proposed by the Centre earlier and said the issue would be discussed in the Cabinet this month for a probable solution.

“Three of our ministers have negotiated with the sugar mill owners and they have agreed to sell ethanol at a tentative price of Rs.26 or 27 per litre.

The final price will be decided in the Cabinet this January and will be declared by Sharad Pawar, Union Minister for Agriculture,” Dr. Abdullah said.

Criticising the “oil lobby”, whom he accused of “greasing the hands of certain people [to hinder the usage of renewable sources of energy]”, Dr. Abdullah came down heavily on the wide prevalence of corruption in the country.

Exuding confidence that the country will be able to achieve the 20,000 MW solar power goal by 2020 as envisioned in the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission, the Minister also said that an equal amount of wind power would be generated within the same period, thus easing the burden on fossil fuels considerably.

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