Transport Secretary Signals Imminent Diesel-Isobutanol Blending Mandate

India to Mandate Isobutanol Blending with Diesel to Improve Energy Security

The Ministry of Roads, Transport and Highways (MoRTH) is likely to bring a mandate on blending isobutanol with diesel as early as this year to improve energy security in the country and decarbonise the road and highways sector. MoRTH Secretary V Umashankar made this announcement at the 'CII Multimodal Transportation and Logistics Summit' on Friday.

Umashankar noted that Bharat Petroleum is already undertaking strategic research for isobutanol blending with diesel, with encouraging results. He stated that the impact of blending diesel will have a far greater impact on India's energy security than even petrol blending, given that diesel consumption is almost two times that of petrol.

The transport ministry is also looking at bringing a draft notification on truck-trailer interchangeability soon. This will help build an ecosystem that needs battery-swapping and battery charging for electric heavy duty commercial vehicles. Umashankar explained that this will address concerns related to the infrastructure required for battery swapping and charging.

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In addition, the government is experimenting with hydrogen logistics, with promising results. The key cost is comparable to other forms of logistics travel, and the only high-cost element is the hydrogen refuelling stations. The government has provided support for the pilot projects, and recently introduced hydrogen buses at the public transport level in Delhi, between Delhi and Faridabad, and Delhi and Noida.

The hydrogen refuelling station has already been supported and set up under this scheme, allowing the buses to travel 450 kms before needing a refuel. The government plans to set up refuelling stations along highways, such as the Delhi-Mumbai corridor, where three refuelling stations could be established at the new expressway.

The MoRTH is also planning to introduce Multi-Lane Free Flow (MLFF), a barrier-less tolling system that eliminates the need for vehicles to stop or slow down at toll-plazas. This system has already been introduced at two toll plazas and is working successfully. The third toll plaza is expected to go live in the next 8-10 days, and the government plans to expand this to all four-lane plus toll plazas across the country within the forthcoming year.

Furthermore, the government is planning to implement an advanced traffic management system. The first proposal for the Delhi NCR has been approved, and the issuance of bids and implementation of the project will start shortly.

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To increase the average speed of vehicles on the roads and highways, MoRTH plans to focus on expressways and access-controlled highways, segregating slow-moving and fast-moving traffic.