Brent Surpassing $100 a Barrel Spurs India's Biofuel Push

India's Prime Minister's Office is advising the country to increase its use of biofuels in response to rising crude supply risks. The move comes as Brent crude futures breached $100 a barrel for the first time since late July, following disruptions to crude supplies.

Tarun Kapoor, an adviser in the Prime Minister's Office, said India needs to utilize all available domestic resources to strengthen its energy security. The country is conducting tests to blend some biofuels with diesel, having already blended ethanol with gasoline.

India mainly uses corn-, rice- and sugarcane-based feedstocks to produce ethanol, but there are concerns that higher ethanol content could affect engine performance and fuel efficiency.