KalingaTV News Network
Bhubaneswar: In a major leap towards green energy production and use in Odisha, the Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) and Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Sunday to produce bio-fuel from paddy straw.
The inking of the agreement made in the presence of Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan aims at generating bio-fuel from paddy straw in a biochemical enzymatic process. It also aims at more purposeful use of the huge quantity of paddy straw Odisha produces every year after rice production.
According to estimation, Odisha is currently producing 100 lakh tonnes of paddy straw annually, a lion’s share of which is being used either as fodder or setting up of roofs of thatched houses.
The bio-fuel production project would be accomplished in the state with a financial assistance of Rs 5 Cr to OUAT by BPCL. While Rs 2 Cr would be used as corpus for BPCL chair, the rest would be spent on research contingency for development, establishment and popularization of the biofuel production technology.
The initiative is part of the Central Government’s policy to use 10 percent straw based ethanol to increase fuel efficiency and by that reducing the pressure on fossil fuel.