BHUBANESWAR: Oil marketing companies have floated expression of interest for production of bio-diesel from used cooking oil (UCO) from 100 locations across the country, including five from Odisha.
The ex-factory UCO based bio-diesel price has been fixed for three years. The price for the first year has been fixed at Rs 51 per litre, for the second year at Rs 52.7/litre and for the third year at Rs 54.5/litre, said Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan in a written reply in the Lok Sabha on Monday.
He said GST and transportation will be payable in addition to this price. The production facility has been extended to 200 locations. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has informed that the repurpose used cooking oil (RUCO) sticker and phone app were launched on August 10, 2019, on the occasion of World Biofuel Day.
The sticker is for display by RUCO compliant Food Business Operators (FBOs) and food service establishments outside their premises for creating awareness and generating demand.Pradhan said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given a target to the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas to bring down import dependency of oil products by 2022 and this can be achieved by enhancing production, improving energy efficiency, promoting conservation and encouraging alternate fuels. The government is promoting the alternate sources of energy in a big way, he added.