India: India Accelerates Initiatives to Enhance Grain-based Ethanol Production

Since January 2021, the Indian government has agreed, in principle, to install or upgrade nearly 200 grain-based ethanol production facilities. Cumulatively, these projects would potentially contribute an additional 8.59 billion liters in ethanol capacity per year, supporting India’s blending mandates while simultaneously diversifying its biofuel feedstocks. However, the number of projects that will become operational remains to be seen. India achieved a record 8.1 percent ethanol blending ratio with petroleum in ethanol supply year 2021 (December-November), largely propelled by the government’s November 2021 decision to divert stocks of extra neutral alcohol from potable liquor production toward ethanol.