IGES co-sponsored the 2010 International Symposium on a Sustainable Future (focusing on Life Cycle Thinking) (ISSF 2010) organised by the Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research (IGIDR) held on 11-13 January in Mumbai, India. The symposium aimed to provide a venue to present and discuss research and action based approaches towards achieving sustainability in the energy sector. It brought together policy makers, academicians, research scientists, business leaders and students in the discussions.

Two sessions were organized by IGES on sustainable biofuel development. Dr. Sethi Surya, former Principal Advisor on Energy on India’s Planning Commission, steered the panel discussion in assessing the development of biofuels in India and where it is heading. It was a very timely topic after Government of India through Ministry of New and Renewable Energy released the much awaited National Policy on Biofuels on December 23, 2009. A variety of differing expectations and opinions from the diverse panel members were expressed during the discussion. Preliminary results of IGES research from the Biofuel Use Strategies for Sustainable Development (BforSD) project were presented in the second session.

The presentations and discussions were helpful in understanding the gaps between the initial high expectations and the realities on the ground of biofuel development in India.

Agenda of IGES sessions on biofuels:

January 12, 2010 14:00 - 16:00 Session V: IGES-IGIDR Session on Biofuels (Panel Discussion on Biofuel Policy in India) Chairpersons: - Surya P. Sethi, Former Principal Advisor, Planning Commission, India - Satoshi Kojima, IGES, Japan Panel Members: - Sandeep Chaturvedi, President, Bio Diesel Association of India, MumbaiH L Sharma, Director, MNRE, India - B.B. Choudhary, Chairman IndianOil-CREDA Biofuels Ltd, DelhiS.K.Shukla, Special Secretary and Vice Chairman- CREDA, Chhattisgarh - P.S.Ojha, Head UP BioEnergy Mission, Luckhnow U.S. Pandey, DGM, BPCL, Mumbai - Mark Elder, IGES, Japan (578KB) 16:00 - 18:00 Session IV: IGES-IGIDR Session on Bioenergy   Chairpersons: - Mark Elder, Principal Researcher, IGES, Japan - Sandeep Chaturvedi, President, Bio Diesel Association of India, Mumbai) 16:00 - 16:20 Impacts of Biofuel Promotion Policy in India: an Assessment Using a Dynamic CGE Model - Satoshi Kojima, IGES, Japan (336KB) 16:20 -16:40 Biomass-based Energy Systems for Sustainable Development: Policy and Institutional Issues - Devendra Gupta, ISID, India 16:40 -17:00 A Tale of Two Countries: Indonesia and India - How Collaboration can Promote Sustainable Biofuel Production (501KB) - Jane Romero, IGES, Japan 17:00 -17:20 Biofuel Production and Water Constraint: an Effective Utilization of Watershed Projects in India (369KB) - Anindya Bhattachrya, IGES, Japan 17:20 -17:40 Energy Balances of Biofuel Development in India - Subrata Mandal, NIPFP, India and Anindya Bhattacharya, IGES, Japan 17:40 -18:00 Biofuels in China: Strategies and Some Implications - Daisuke Sano and Jane Romero, IGES, Japan (428KB)