The govt needs cooking oil from your kitchen. Here’s why

New Delhi: On the occasion of World Biofuel Day, state-run oil marketing companies — Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) — launched a programme to procure used cooking oil from 100 cities in India and use it to make biodiesel.

OMCs invite EoIs for setting up plant

The programme was launched by Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Saturday. The three OMCs invited expression of interest (EoI) from private entities for setting up plants to produce biodiesel from used cooking oil. The OMCs would procure the biodiesel from these entities at an assured rate of Rs 51 per litre initially; then the price would be increased to Rs 52.7 in the second year and Rs 54.5 per litre in the third year.

Repurpose Used Cooking Oil sticker launched

Pradhan also launched Repurpose Used Cooking Oil (RUCO) sticker and a mobile phone application for collection of used cooking oil (UCO) to ensure that it does not come back to the ecosystem. The sticker will be used by food joints, hotels and restaurants to show that they supply UCO for producing biodiesel.

A RUCO movement?

Addressing the gathering, Pradhan said, "Biodiesel is available in many forms other than used cooking oil. It is waste to wealth. We will celebrate World Biofuel Day as alternative energy day." "Like Amul, where milk is collected from households and then converted into a commercial product, there will be RUCO movement. The biggest issue (with biofuels like compressed biogas) was offtake guarantee. More than 300 firms have got letters of intent for compressed biogas. Its implementation is a challenge. But we are targetting 5,000 such units till 2024."

Ethanol from surplus food stock

Regarding ethanol blending, he said, "We would also make ethanol from surplus food stock. At present, we produce ethanol from sugarcane molasses. Non-subsidised biomass would be converted into energy." "About four-five years ago, we had decided to increase ethanol blending with petrol. It has increased from 1.5 percent to 7 to 8 percent. It will soon be 10 percent. Our ultimate goal is to achieve 20 percent ethanol blending with petrol," the minister added.

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