Parliament Question: International Biofuel Alliance

LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.3105 TO BE ANSWERED ON 07th August, 2025 International Biofuel Alliance +3105. Dr. Rajesh Mishra: पेट(cid:332)ोिलयम और (cid:366)ाकृ ितक गैस मं(cid:361)ी Will the Minister of PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS be pleased to state: (a) whether the objectives and key components of the Global Biofuel Alliance (GBA) launched under India’s G-20 leadership have been defined and if so, the details thereof; (b) the present status of this alliance along with the international partnerships made under GBA; (c) the benefits likely to accrue from this alliance with regard to the biofuel economy of India;and (d) whether any awareness campaigns has been conducted for the use of biofuel in Sidhi Lok Sabha Constituency and if so, the details thereof? ANSWER पे(cid:7069)ोिलयम और (cid:7079)ाकृितक गसै मं(cid:7074)ालय म (cid:7286)रा(cid:6996)यम(cid:7074)ं ी ((cid:7088)ी सरु ेश गोपी) MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS (SHRI SURESH GOPI) (a) Yes. Section 1 of the Foundation Document of Global Biofuels Alliance (GBA) defines its mission and objectives. The details may be seen at Annexure-I. (b) GBA formally adopted its Governance Framework during the fifth Temporary Executive Committee (TEC) meeting held on 24th July 2025, establishing its institutionalization as a full- fledged international organization. Also, in October 2024, GBA has signed the Host Country Agreement with the Government of India for establishment of its Secretariat in New Delhi. GBA’s membership has expanded to 32 nations and 14 international organizations, with keen interest received from other countries and organizations as well. The roles of each stakeholder – members, observers and international partners has been clearly defined in the governance framework adopted. The governance framework also institutes the Industry Alliance Board which provides a formal mechanism to engage with industry.(c) GBA aims at, inter alia, providing additional opportunities to Indian industries by positioning India as a knowledge base and as a production hub for biofuels including ethanol, Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) and Compressed Bio Gas (CBG) etc. An active role in GBA helps elevate India’s position in the global biofuels sector. (d) As an international organization, GBA has undertaken several impactful initiatives to promote awareness and adoption of biofuels globally, including in India. GBA actively participated in key national and international events such as COP28, COP29, and the World Economic Forum, India Energy Week 2024 and 2025, creating visibility and traction at the intersection of policy and industry.It has hosted a series of events featuring curated roundtables, panel discussions, Knowledge Webinar Series and launch of a joint statement. In addition, it participated in high-level dialogues at G20 and G7 forums, contributing to the global narrative on sustainable energy transitions. Further extending its outreach, GBA has initiated a series of social media campaigns, such as the “Do You Know” initiative, to highlight key facts and benefits of biofuels. Complementing these efforts, GBA also released two whitepapers“Potential of Non-grain-based Biofuels in India’s Energy Transition” and “Role of Bio-based Diesel in Diesel Transition”which advocate the critical role of biofuels in global decarbonization and sustainable energy development. *****Annexure-I The objectives of the GBA have been defined in the Foundation Document of the alliance, signed by the Member Countries: 1. The GBA intends to promote recognition of the strategic role that sustainable biofuels can play in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, including in the transport, power, cement, and other hard-to-abate sectors. 2. Accordingly, the GBA intends to support worldwide development and deployment of sustainable biofuels, offer technical support for national biofuels programs, promote policy lessons-sharing and capacity building exercises across biofuels value chain, address and improve public perceptions, as well as enhance global trade. 3. The GBA intends to work in collaboration with and complement the relevant existing regional and international organizations, as well as initiatives, in the bioenergy, bioeconomy, and energy transitions fields more broadly, including the Clean Energy Ministerial and the Biofuture Platform. 4. The GBA intends to pursue the mission to further biofuels adoption by: a) Raising awareness at all levels of the benefits of sustainable biofuels, through various forums; b) Encouraging the exchange of best practices in effectively, economically, and sustainably utilizing feedstocks, and in securing supply and availability of sustainable biofuels. Also, GBA intends to facilitate mobilizing a virtual marketplace to assist industries, countries, ecosystem players, and key stakeholders in mapping demand and supply, as well as connecting technology providers to end users; c) Conducting capacity building workshops, providing technical expertise and assistance to member countries for skill development, knowledge sharing, and assistance for implementing policies; d) Serving as an observatory, mapping and referencing various e- repositories outlining biofuels information on multiple dimensions for multiple stakeholders including policy-makers, industry, academia, and experts across biofuels availability, technology use-cases, supply chaininnovation, success stories, experiences, and learnings from recent national and global initiatives; e) Identifying key barriers and challenges to sustainable biofuels adoption such as access to financing, feedstock availability, facilitation of trade, and regulatory hurdles, and developing strategies to address them; f) Working to create, open, and expand, as well as strengthen existing, international sustainable biofuels markets to advance global biofuels trade; and g) Supporting the adoption and implementation of internationally recognized standards, codes, and regulations to incentivize accessibility, greater adoption, and trade of sustainable biofuels, with a focus on regional harmonization where possible. As needed, seek the creation of new international standards and codes, particularly to facilitate the trade of drop-in biofuels.