Gadkari bats for green hydrogen and biofuels as sustainable path to a developed economy

Union transport minister Nitin Gadkari said on Tuesday that using indigenous green hydrogen and biofuels in the transport sector would contribute to India’s ambition to become a developed economy.

The ministry of road transport and highways (MoRTH) had started pilot projects across 10 highways to convert them into green hydrogen corridors, with trucks and buses as well as refuelling stations, Gadkari said at a CII event in New Delhi. He also said trials were underway to test isobutanol as a biofuel blend in diesel to reduce emissions in construction vehicles.

Mint earlier reported on both these developments. Gadkari also said the economic viability of sustainable projects was integral for investment, and that the cost of logistics should be lowered for faster growth.

Cleaner alternatives

Gadkari said the green hydrogen pilot had been implemented across Greater Noida-Delhi-Agra; Bhubaneshwar-Konark-Puri; Ahmedabad-Vadodara-Surat; Saeedabad-Faridabad-Delhi; Pune-Mumbai; Jamshedpur-Kalinganagar; Trivandum-Kochi; Kochi-IEdappally; Jamnagar-Ahmendabad; and on Vishakhapattanam routes.

The ministry is working with several truckmakers in the country and state-run oil marketing companies for this pilot, Gadkari said. “I think the green hydrogen mission is very important.”

Gadkari added that along with the focus on hydrogen as a cleaner fuel, the government’s work on blending 20% ethanol in petrol has boosted the price of corn, which is being increasingly used to make ethanol and isobutanol.

“There has been successful testing of isobutanol for diesel blending also,” Gadkari said, adding that he had urged automakers to convert all heavy machinery and construction equipment vehicles to run on 100% isobutanol. “And I am happy to tell you that work has started on this front also.

These efforts are integral for reducing air pollution from vehicular sources, he said. “Today, as transport minister, I am responsible for 40% of the air pollution in the country.”

The developments in fuel blending come amid a consumer outcry about falling vehicle efficiency due to the ethanol blending in petrol. But the government has maintained that biofuel blending has provided additional income to India’s farmers, reducing the country’s crude oil import bill.

This article has been republished from The Livemint.