The Hindu Business Line : Green engines on track

THE Indian Railway runs 5,000 diesel locomotives that consume 18 lakh tonnes of diesel annually. Little wonder that it is looking at ways to cut the spiralling fuel cost. It has drawn up ambitious plans for a programme that envisages using some of its land, over 90,000 hectares, to cultivate crops with biofuel potential.

To assess the feasibility of biofuels, initially, it imported soyabean oil from the US and since 2002 has operated a few services on diesel with a 5 per cent soyabean oil blend. The locomotives that pull the Shatabdhi Express between Delhi and Chandigarh operate on blended biodiesel.

According to Mr M. Jayasingh, Chief Mechanical Engineer (Planning), Southern Railway, the Railways has established the suitability and compatibility of biofuels at 5 per cent blend with diesel.

The South Eastern Railway and the Western Railway are also looking at introducing biofuel, he said.

The Indian Railway has called for consultants who can help it to use the 90,000 hectares available with it to cultivate biofuel crops, he said. Over 43,000 hectares are distributed across the country and the rest is along the rail track network.

It estimates that these lands would help the Railways meet at least half its requirement of oil.

The Southern Railway has a one-tonne-a-day extraction plant that uses oil from pongamia seeds and used cooking oil from hotels. It also purchases Pongam oil for Rs 30 a litre from oil mills in Gudiyattam.

The Southern Railway has used blended diesel in some locomotives and in 20 automobiles. It also operates a utility vehicle and a diesel generating set wholly on biofuel.

By its estimate the biofuel cost, taking into account the value of byproducts such as oil cake and glycerine, works out to about Rs 15-16 a litre. Jatropha seeds cost about Rs 7 a kg.

Three kg of seeds — value Rs 21 — yield a litre of oil and 2 kg oil cake. The oil cake can be sold for Rs 10 and the oil costs Rs 11.

The Railways will have to invest Rs 5-6 a litre, which accounts for a total cost of Rs 15-16 a litre.

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