In a major milestone for the nation, Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri yesterday launched India’s first home-produced Reference Fuel in New Delhi. Reference Fuel is used for developing engines and assessing its performance. Earlier, India used to exclusively import it from other nations.
Speaking at the event, the Minister said that its introduction is an important step towards atmanirbharta in the fuel and energy sector. He added that this puts India into an exclusive club of reference fuel producers and is in line with international benchmarks. He exclaimed that this achievement not only reduces India’s dependence on imports but also catapults India’s
energy industry to select global players armed with exclusive competencies. The Minister said this is part of PM Modi’s vision of transforming India into an ‘energy-independent’ nation by 2047.
The Minister also mentioned about the Ministry’s efforts in the direction of clean energy especially the Bio-fuels section, transition to BS-VI fuels, and introduction of EV charging stations, Sustainable Aviation Fuel, Ethanol blending, and Hydrogen fuels. He also noted moving the ambitious target of achieving 20 percent ethanol blending from 2030 to 2025 and the sale of E20 blended fuel at over 5,000 petrol retail outlets.