Ethanol Blending
Govt says no decision so far to up ethanol blending with petrol beyond 20%
This story was originally published at 18:38 IST on 20 March 2025
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NEW DELHI – The government has so far not taken any decision to increase ethanol blending with petrol beyond 20%, Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Suresh Gopi said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha Thursday.
As of Feb. 28, the cumulative blending in the 2024-25 ethanol supply year (Nov-Oct) has reached 17.98%, almost achieving the 18% target. To reduce dependence on crude oil, the government has set a target of achieving 18% blending in 2024-25 and 20% in 2025-26. In the ongoing ethanol supply year, most of the ethanol is set to come from grain-based feedstock like rice and maize, than sugarcane-based feedstocks.
On biofuel compatibility, Gopi said, "using 20% ethanol-blended petrol (E20) results in a marginal reduction in fuel efficiency for four-wheelers designed for E10 and calibrated for E20," quoting a study prepared by interministerial committee, titled Roadmap for Ethanol Blending in India
2020-25. However, with engine modifications, the efficiency loss can be reduced, he added. "The Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers had informed the committee that with modifications in engine hardware and tuning, the efficiency loss due to blended fuel can be reduced," he added.
Though blended petrol reduces vehicle efficiency, the committee report highlighted that no major issues were observed in vehicle performance, wear of engine components, or engine oil deterioration with E20 fuel, Gopi said.
To promote biofuels, the government advanced the 20% blending target to 2025-26 from 2029-30. It has also introduced various interest subvention schemes to produce ethanol from molasses and grains. It has also reduced the goods and services tax rate to 5% on ethanol. Oil marketing companies have also signed long-term offtake agreements with dedicated ethanol plants, he added. End
Reported by Afra Abubacker
Edited by Vandana Hingorani
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