India’s bioenergy sector is poised for rapid expansion, potentially outpacing the country’s overall energy demand and emerging as a cornerstone of energy security, emissions reduction, and rural development, officials said at India Energy Week 2026.
Speaking on the third day of the conference in Goa, Neeraj Mittal, Secretary of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, stressed the urgency of scaling sustainable energy solutions during the release of the IEA India Bioenergy Market Report and the 5th edition of the PPAC Journal: Ensuring Energy Security.
“India’s energy consumption is in the lower half globally on a per capita basis, but its growth rate is almost twice the world average. In the next decade, India’s energy growth could outstrip global growth by a factor of two or more,” Mittal said.
Highlighting policy-driven success stories, he cited the ethanol blending program as a global benchmark: “In 2014, ethanol blending was just 1.4 percent. Today, we are close to 20 percent, and we have enough domestic ethanol to go beyond that if technology and national vision take us there.”
He noted that similar targets are now set for biodiesel, compressed biogas (CBG), and sustainable aviation fuel, underscoring India’s commitment to low-carbon energy growth.
The IEA report projects a robust growth trajectory for liquid and gaseous biofuels through 2030.
Paolo Frankl, Head of the Renewable Energy Division at IEA, said India has already tripled its consumption of modern bioenergy since 2020, driven by blending mandates, incentives, research support, and supply-chain development. “Under enhanced policy implementation, India could double biofuel deployment again by 2030, making it one of the fastest-growing bioenergy markets globally,” he said.
Frankl identified compressed biogas as a major emerging opportunity, given India’s vast agricultural residues and organic waste. He added that "improved feedstock aggregation, infrastructure proximity and stable offtake mechanisms would be critical to sustaining growth and lowering costs.”
The Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell (PPAC) also released the 5th edition of its bi-annual technical journal, with Director General P Manoj Kumar emphasizing the importance of state-level policies. “The journal brings together contributions from states, policymakers and institutions, reinforcing evidence-based policymaking and cooperative federalism in the energy sector,” he said.
Charlotte Morton, Chief Executive of the World Biogas Association, urged stronger national coordination for biogas. She highlighted it as “a multi-benefit solution that supports waste management, rural livelihoods, emissions reduction and decentralised energy systems.”
With policy momentum, technological support, and growing domestic supply, India’s bioenergy ambitions are rapidly moving from vision to reality.
