Lucknow, Oct 3 (IANS): The Uttar Pradesh government has issued guidelines for the production and sale of biodiesel in the state.

“According to the guidelines issued by Additional Chief Secretary, Energy and Renewable Energy, Mahesh Kumar Gupta, the Uttar Pradesh New and Renewable Energy Development Agency (UPNEDA) has been entrusted with the power to regulate production and sale of biodiesel in the state,” a government spokesman said.

Any person/firm seeking production/sale will have to apply to the NEDA with a registration fee of Rs 5,000 and only indigenously-produced biodiesel will be permitted to be sold.

“Biodiesel producers will be mandated to set up a lab also to ensure that biodiesel produced by them is as per the standards laid down by the government and sale will be done through tankers only and not through drums,” the guidelines said.

Biodiesel is an eco-friendly alternative diesel fuel prepared from domestic renewable sources like vegetable oils (both edible and non-edible) and animal fats.

It can be used alone or blended with conventional petro-diesel in diesel-driven vehicles.

Till now, the retail sale of biodiesel directly to consumers was not permitted in UP, though no additional permission or licence was required to be obtained for production and storage of such fuel in the state.