HT Bureau
GUWAHATI, April 30: Indian Oil, India’s leading energy provider, rolled out brand new M15 Petrol (15% blend of Methanol with Petrol) at M/s Assam Agencies in Tinsukia on Saturday.
The pilot rollout of M15 was done by Rameswar Teli, minister of state for Petroleum & Natural Gas and Labour & Employment, in the august presence of Dr V K Saraswat, member Niti Aayog, S M Vaidya, chairman Indian Oil, Bikul Deka, chairman Assam petrochemicals Limited and other senior officials of the Oil industry. This new variety of fuel will strengthen India’s energy Aatmanirbharta and reduce pollution.
In its effort to reduce the consumption of fossil fuels, the Government of India has envisaged an ambitious roadmap for the energy sector with a greater focus on Methanol Economy. Accordingly, as envisaged by Niti Aayog and in line with the philosophy of making India self-sufficient in energy requirements, the rollout of M15 Petrol (a 15% blend of Methanol with Petrol) has been taken up by Indian Oil on a pilot basis.
The pilot rollout is being done in Assam’s Tinsukia due to the ready availability of Methanol which is being manufactured by the State Public Sector Enterprise – M/s Assam Petrochemical Ltd, Namrup in the vicinity of Digboi.
The concept of the Methanol economy is currently being actively pursued by countries like China, Japan, Italy, Sweden, the US, Australia, Israel and many other European countries. Methanol has become the choice of fuel in Marine Sector worldwide, and countries like Sweden are at the forefront of usage.
During the inauguration, Teli underlined that “Petroleum Ministry is working towards reducing imports” and also said that blending of fuel with methanol will provide respite from price hike. Teli also highlighted the future expansion plans of Digboi refinery. The use of M15 fuel is expected to have a positive impact on import substitution and is expected to save billions of dollars in fuel import bills. Speaking on the occasion, chairman S M Vaidya also said “Pilot roll-out of M15 is a stepping stone towards achieving fuel independence and reducing import burden” and further underlined the steps being undertaken by Indian Oil to make India energy self-sufficient.
