India’s OMCs meet with ethanol producers

With the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs’ (CCEA) directing the petroleum ministry to ensure that oil companies compulsorily sell petrol blended with 5% ethanol, oil marketing companies (OMCs) have swung into action for the procurement of ethanol. At the maiden interaction with representatives of the All India Ethanol Manufacturers Association and private sugar mills, officials of Indian Oil Corp. (IOC), Bharat Petroleum Corp. Ltd. (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corp. (HPCL) projected an annual ethanol requirement of 68 crore liter at the national level for 2009-10 for 5% blending. India’s installed ethanol production capacity is 145 crore liter and manufacturers and suppliers have assured that the annual supply of 68 crore liter for 2009-10 for 5% blending will be possible without major hurdles. (November 18, 2009)