A project involving the use of alcohol mixed petrol as fuel will be tested initially in the sugarcane producing region of Sangli and Satara. The union Ministry for Petroleum and Natural Gas has given the green signal to launch the project and Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) has floated tenders for the project.

Speaking to mumbaibest.com, Maharashtra's Minister for State Excise Vasant Chavan said that since Maharashtra heads the list of molasses producing states in the country, the union government has sanctioned permission to utlilise 5 percent of absolute alcohol obtained from molasses to be added to petrol, to minimise the dependency on petrol.

The by-product of petrol and molasses, known as ethanol, will be supplied by 187 fuel pump stations, in Sangli, Satara and Kolhapur, shortly. This cost-effective fuel grade ethanol is a cheap substitute to petrol which is widely used in Brazil and Africa. A Sangli-based sugar co-operative mill will be producing this by-product, which is being supplied as low-cost fuel substitute for petrol.

Author: Mani D'Mello