India is the front-runner in mitigating climate change globally and is progressing fast on its energy transition agenda, said Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri at the Auto Expo-2023 being held in Greater Noida on Friday.

The event, he said, marked the extent to which the country was willing to innovate to keep its pledge of protecting the environment while simultaneously addressing the growing demand for energy.

Puri said that the event would be an exposition of India’s technology, capability and vision of the mobility for tomorrow-safer, cleaner, connected and shared. For the visitor, it would be an experience of the mobility eco-system that was unfolding every day and offering better solutions for all requirements.

He said, “it will also provide a platform for domestic and international investors and other stakeholders, he said.

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The Auto Expo- 2023 with the theme “Explore the World of Mobility” is being organised by the Automotive Components Manufacturers Association of India (ACMA), the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), and the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM).

The event is expected to feature more than 100 companies and to be attended by about three lakh visitors. ”It will provide a unique opportunity to showcase India as both an engine of global economic growth and a driver for global consumption, supported by a conducive and investment-friendly environment, and a skilled workforce,” he added.

Talking about the progress made by India in terms of ethanol blending, Puri said; ”we have increased the ethanol blending in petrol from 1.53% in 2013-14 to 10.17% in 2022, which was well ahead of November 2022 deadline and advanced its target to achieve 20% ethanol blending in petrol from 2030 to 2025-26.”

This, he said, has resulted in not only augmenting the country’s energy security but also translated into a forex savings of over Rs. 41,500 crores, reduced GHG emissions of 27 lakh MT and benefitted farmers.

The Minister said the Government was setting up five 2G ethanol bio-refineries in the country at Panipat (Parali) in Haryana, Bathinda in Punjab, Bargarh (Parali) in Odisha, Numaligarh (Bamboo) in Assam and Devangere in Karnataka.

Continuous innovation & improvement mark our pledge to protect the environment while we simultaneously address growing demand for green energy.#AutoExpo2023 #AutoExpo #EV #ElectricVehicles #GreenEnergy #Battery #Phinergy @IndianOilcl @BPCLimited @HPCL @mnreindia pic.twitter.com/VMZjcqnvqs

— Hardeep Singh Puri (@HardeepSPuri) January 13, 2023

“We are also launching a Global Alliance on Biofuels, along with the USA and Brazil during India’s Presidency of G20,” he said.

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