India’s bioenergy sector is poised to expand at a pace well ahead of the country’s overall energy demand, positioning it as a critical driver of energy security, emissions reduction and rural economic growth, Neeraj Mittal, Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG), said on the third day of India Energy Week (IEW) 2026 in Goa on Thursday.
Speaking at the Addition Stage during the launch of the ‘IEA India Bioenergy Market Report: Outlook for Liquid and Gaseous Biofuels to 2030’ and the fifth edition of the ‘PPAC Journal – Ensuring Energy Security: Role of State Energy Policies’, Mittal underlined the urgency of rapidly scaling sustainable energy solutions to meet India’s rising needs.
“While India’s per capita energy consumption remains in the lower half globally, its energy demand is growing at nearly twice the world average. Over the next decade, India’s energy growth could be two times or more than the global rate,” he noted.
Highlighting the impact of consistent and targeted policymaking, Mittal pointed to the ethanol blending programme as a global success story.
“Ethanol blending stood at just 1.4 per cent in 2014. Today, it is close to 20 per cent, and India already has sufficient domestic ethanol capacity to go beyond this, provided technology and national vision continue to align,” he said.
Similar blending roadmaps for biodiesel, compressed biogas and sustainable aviation fuel further reflect India’s commitment to a low-carbon and responsible energy transition.
