Bioenergy can strengthen India’s energy security if policy momentum continues, says IEA, ETEnergyworld

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<p>The reports highlight biofuels and biogas as key to boosting India’s energy security, cutting imports, and supporting rural growth if policy support continues.<br></p> — The reports highlight biofuels and biogas as key to boosting India’s energy security, cutting imports, and supporting rural growth if policy support continues.

India’s expanding bioenergy landscape took centre stage with the release of the IEA India Bioenergy Market Report – Outlook for Liquid & Biofuels to 2030 alongside the fifth edition of the PPAC Technical Journal themed “Ensuring Energy Security: Role of State Energy Policies”.

The reports underline how biofuels, biogas and compressed biogas (CBG) can significantly strengthen India’s energy security, reduce import dependence and unlock rural economic opportunities, provided policy momentum is sustained and broadened.

Releasing the PPAC journal, P Manoj Kumar, Director-General, PPAC, said the publication has steadily emerged as an important knowledge platform. “Over the past two years, the journal has received excellent recognition from institutions including IITs, with students referring to it as a technical resource,” he said.

Launching the IEA report, Pablo Franklin, Head of the Renewables Division at the IEA, described the study as the third in a special India-focused series and a product of close collaboration with PPAC.

“Bioenergy, particularly gases and liquid biofuels, brings multiple benefits to oil-importing countries like India—energy diversification, reduced exposure to fossil fuel price volatility, rural economic development and emissions reduction,” he said.

The report highlights India’s remarkable progress since 2018–20, with overall production of liquid biofuels and bioenergy gases tripling, driven largely by ethanol.

“Ethanol alone has seen a five-fold increase, the result of a very strong suite of policies — not just targets, but blending mandates, R&D support, demonstration projects and supply-chain development,” Franklin noted, calling India’s achievement of the 20 per cent ethanol blending mandate “one of the biggest success stories of policy-driven energy transition”.

Compressed biogas emerges as another major growth story. “CBG is just starting, but with phenomenal growth rates,” Franklin said, pointing to around 170 operating plants in 2025 and more than 300 under construction. By 2030, production could increase seven-fold, provided plant utilisation improves and offtake markets are strengthened.