The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has been apprised of India joining as Member of Advanced Motor Fuels Technology Collaboration Programme (AMF TCP)under International Energy Agency (IEA) on 9th May 2018.  AMF TCP works under the framework of International Energy Agency (IEA) to which India has "Association" status since 30th March 2017. 

Details: 

The primary goal of joining AMF TCP by Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas (MoP&NG) is to facilitate the market introduction of Advanced motor fuels/ Alternate fuels with an aim to bring down emissions and achieve higher fuel efficiency in the transport sector. AMF TCP also provides an opportunity for fuel analysis, identifying new/ alternate fuels for deployment in the transport sector and allied R&D activities for the reduction in emissions in fuel-intensive sectors. 

The R&D work in AMF TCP is carried out within individual projects called "Annex". Over the years, more than 50 Annexes have been initiated in AMF TCP and a number of fuels have been covered in previous Annexes such as reformulated fuels (gasoline & diesel), biofuels (ethanol, biodiesel etc.), synthetic fuels (methanol, Fischer- Tropsch, DME etc.) and gaseous fuels. R&D Institutions of Public sector Oil Marketing companies and Automobile Testing Agencies such as ARAI, CIRT, ICAT etc. have State-of-the-art facilities and resources will also be a contributor to the Annex(s) participated by MoP&NG. 

Prime Minister at UrjaSangam, 2015 had directed to reduce the import in the energy sector by at least 10% by 2022.  Subsequently, MoP&NG has come up with a detailed action plan wherein Biofuels, Advanced/ alternate fuels and fuel efficiency play a major role. Association with AMF TCP will help MoP&NG in furthering its efforts in identification & deployment of suitable fuels for the transport sector in respect of higher efficiency and lesser emissions. 

The government of India has recently notified National Policy on Biofuels-2018 which focusses on giving impetus to R&D in the field of advanced biofuels such as 2G Ethanol, Bio-CNG, biomethanol, Drop-in fuels, DME etc. These advanced fuels can be produced from various kind of wastes such as crop residues, Municipal solid waste, Industrial waste, waste gases, Food waste, plastic etc. Though some of these advanced biofuels have successfully been deployed in a few countries, India is still awaiting its deployment in the transport sector. These advanced fuels are presently in their early stages of development in our Country and necessitate extensive R&D for making these fuels a viable option for meeting our energy needs. Association with AMF will help MoP&NG in identifying advanced biofuels suitable for deployment in the transport sector in near future. In such cases, experience of member countries in deploying advanced biofuels will be an additional benefit for MoP&NG. 

The benefits of participation in AMF TCP are shared costs and pooled technical resources. The duplication of efforts is avoided and national Research and Development capabilities are strengthened. There is an information exchange about best practices, a network of researchers and linking research with practical implementation. After becoming a member, India will initiate R&D in other areas of its interest in advanced biofuels and other motor fuels in view of their crucial role in substituting fossil fuel imports.