India faces a significant hurdle with its Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) imports, sourcing nearly 60% of its 34 million tonnes annual requirement from abroad. This reliance is worsened by ongoing disruptions in the Gulf region, a key transit route for about 90% of the country's LPG shipments.
Lessons from African Ethanol Programs
The Indian Sugar & Bio-Energy Manufacturers Association (ISMA) has proposed a strategy: copying successful ethanol cooking programs from several African nations. ISMA's report lists initiatives like Tanzania's Ethanol Stove Programme, planning to deploy 110,000 stoves, and Ethiopia's Project Gaia, targeting over 200,000 households. Kenya's market model and West Africa's programs in Mali and Nigeria, featuring hundreds of thousands of ethanol and solar stoves, are also highlighted as effective refill-based systems offering a local alternative.
Ethanol: A Clean, Scalable Alternative Fuel
ISMA notes that ethanol is a practical, scalable cooking fuel, producing a clean blue flame like LPG. The stoves offer similar heat output, between 1.5 and 3 kW. A recent report from the International Institute for Sustainable Development suggests a shift to ethanol cooking and biogas could save over $24 billion in LPG subsidies by 2050. Also, replacing just 20% of LPG demand with ethanol could cut annual consumption by 6 million tonnes.
ISMA's Call for Government Action
ISMA wants the government to deploy ethanol cooking solutions in rural and low-income households as an affordable, pay-as-you-go alternative. Key areas for deployment include street vendors, community kitchens, remote regions, urban informal settlements, and disaster relief. The association also wants the government to approve ethanol as a clean cooking fuel in national energy plans and offer incentives to build out the system, making it robust and ready for the future.