The Global Biofuels Alliance (GBA) was officially launched on Saturday evening by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the G20 Summit in New Delhi. The GBA, a key initiative under India’s G20 presidency, aims to promote international cooperation in the use of sustainable biofuels and facilitate global biofuels trade.

Initiated by India, the United States, and Brazil, the GBA has nine founding members including India, the US, Brazil, Argentina, Bangladesh, Italy, Mauritius, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates. Canada and Singapore are observer countries. In total, 19 countries and 12 international organizations have agreed to join the GBA.

Biofuels are renewable fuels derived from biomass, such as plants or agricultural, animal, domestic, and industrial biowaste, and are cleaner than conventional fossil fuels. Modi launched the GBA in the presence of leaders from various countries.

The White House stated that the founding members of the GBA will work to add more countries to the alliance, focusing on securing a sustainable and affordable supply of biofuels. The alliance will collaborate with existing regional and international agencies to promote biofuels development and deployment.

India is working to reduce dependency on energy imports and limit carbon emissions by increasing the use of biofuels. The country has achieved success in its ethanol-petrol blending program and is on track to meet its targets. Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri highlighted the need for a global platform to address challenges and promote international cooperation in the biofuels sector.

Overall, the launch of the GBA represents a significant step towards promoting sustainable biofuels and global cooperation in the energy sector.