Jamkhandi to get India's first flex fuel station

Jamkhandi in Bagalkot district, nearly 500 km from Bengaluru, will get a ‘flex fuel’ station that will be India’s first, according to the company is setting it up.

Flex fuel, or flexible fuel, is an alternative fuel in which gasoline is combined with methanol or ethanol.

The flex fuel station coming up at Bagalkot will provide bio CNG, ethanol-blended gasoline and a charging facility for electric vehicles.

The station will be set up by TruAlt Energy, a company linked to Industries Minister Murgesh Nirani’s family business.

Following the Union government’s decision to have automakers develop flex fuel engines, TruAlt Energy wants to set up 250 flex fuel stations across India in the next five years.

TruAlt Energy managing director Vijay Nirani told DH that the company is setting up the fuel stations to be future-ready. “Jamkhandi is the first such station in the country and we will soon set up seven in Bagalkot district and 14 in Belagavi district,” he said.

The company is waiting for automobile manufacturers to launch vehicles with flex fuel engines. “In Jamkhandi, we got 18 tractors fitted with flex fuel engines that use ethanol because of which farmers are saving Rs 1.5 lakh per year towards fuel expenses,” Vijay said.

He said automakers need confidence about flex fuel infrastructure. “Agro-based industries are more capable to deliver enough ethanol and we are taking this initiative by preparing the infrastructure,” he said.

The TruAlt flex fuel station at Jamkhandi will have sugarcane-based bio CNG and ethanol. Power supply for EV charging will also come from sugarcane.

In 2018, the Union government introduced the biofuel policy.

Initially, the blending target was 10%. The target is now 20% for which the deadline has been advanced to 2025 from the earlier 2030.

Last month, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said India would save Rs 1 lakh crore of foreign exchange if the target of blending 20% ethanol with petrol is achieved by 2025.

“Currently, by importing crude we are losing on our forex value. If we stop crude and switch to ethanol, it will go to farmers,” Vijay said. “Petrol is Rs 120-125 per litre. Ethanol is Rs 63 a litre. Compared with one litre petrol, ethanol would offer the same mileage with 1.3 litres at half the price,” he said.