Global Biofuels Alliance

Why is in news? Special Ministerial Consultations and Recommendations on Global Biofuels Alliance

Energy Transitions Ministerial Meeting has highlighted Fuels for Future (3F) as one of the priority areas.

In this context, on the sideline of the Energy Transitions Ministerial Meeting a standalone event on Consultations and Recommendations for the Global Biofuels Alliance was organized on 22nd July’23 in Goa.

This event received strong support from countries within and beyond the G20.

Nineteen countries expressed their interest in being the initiating members of the alliance with fifteen Countries and nine International Organizations attending the event

This signifies a momentous step forward in advancing the development and deployment of biofuels through a multi-stakeholder global alliance.

This GBA event witnessed participation from the Energy Ministers of thirteen countries and Heads of nine international organizations.

India, Argentina, Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, Italy, Kenya, Mauritius, Paraguay, Seychelles, the United States, UAE and Uganda, and international organisations such as the Biofuture Platform, International Civil Aviation Organisation, International Energy Agency, International Energy Forum, International Renewable Energy Agency, World Bank, World Biogas Association, and World Economic Forum who were part of the event welcomed the initiative.

Emphasizing the importance of biofuels and collaboration, Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas & Urban and Housing Affairs, said “True success of Global Biofuels Alliance will depend on moving this project from a project of the government to the project of the people.”

The forum recognized that overcoming challenges such as feedstock management, standards development, and technological innovations requires a collaborative approach and welcomed the initiative by Indian Presidency to create the global alliance.

Further, International Organizations such as IEA and IEF reinforced the expansive potential of biofuels for other countries and highlighted the importance of standardization, waste recycling, and investments to build on the untapped potential.

ICAO emphasized that more than 600 Billion liters of SAF are required to replace all fossil fuels, translating into more than USD 3 trillion in investment by 2050. This necessitates the need for close collaboration across stakeholders.

World Biogas Association highlighted that only 2% of waste is being recycled currently and absence of recycling to consumable products is contributing to methane emissions. International Organizations also enunciated how they look forward to supporting the alliance.

Global Biofuels Alliance:

Brazil, India, and the United States, as leading biofuel producers and consumers, will work together towards the development of a Global Biofuels Alliance along with other interested countries.

This Alliance will be aimed at facilitating cooperation and intensifying the use of sustainable biofuels, including in the transportation sector.

It will place emphasis on strengthening markets, facilitating global biofuels trade, development of concrete policy lesson-sharing and provision of technical support for national biofuels programs worldwide.

It will also emphasize the already implemented best practices and success cases.

It would complement the existing regional and international agencies and initiatives like bioenergy, bio-economy, and energy transition.

Furthermore, it would also aid in the Clean Energy Ministerial Biofuture Platform, the Mission Innovation Bioenergy initiatives, and the Global Bioenergy Partnership (GBEP).

The Global Biofuel Alliance is one of the priorities under India's G20 Presidency.

The US ranks number one and Brazil is in second position in Biofuels. They lead in biodiesel and ethanol production.

Together they accounted for 84% of the world's ethanol production and 26% of the world's biodiesel production.