Ethanol Blending

SC questions Centre over fuel supply for vehicles running on 100% ethanol

The Supreme Court asked the Centre how it would ensure adequate ethanol supplies for E100 vehicles, while stressing the need to consider farmers' interests and environmental concerns.

Ethanol in the fast lane

A slower transition can address unanticipated impacts

No intention to increase ethanol blending in fuel beyond 20%: Hardeep Puri

Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri on Tuesday said the Centre has no immediate plan to increase the ethanol blending in petrol beyond the current 20 per cent. During an interaction at the inauguration of the 29th Energy Technology and Innovation Meet in South Goa, Puri also claimed that misinformation was being spread about biofuels. Misinformation about E20 (20 per cent ethanol-blended petrol) was a "contrived narrative," he said. "In so far biofuels are concerned, yes, the 20 per cent (of ethanol blending) was the target, and there is no desire, just now, to increase by more than 20 per cent," he said to a question on discussions around E20 fuel, adding that misinformation was being spread about the issue. The government has been promoting ethanol-blended petrol as part of its strategy to reduce dependence on imported crude oil, one of the biggest contributors to its current account deficit. The country has already rolled out E20 fuel, containing 20 pe

Govt amends motor vehicle rules to allow flex-fuel vehicles running on E100

The Road Transport Ministry on Monday notified changes to the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, allowing flex-fuel vehicles that can run on up to E100 (nearly pure ethanol). E100 fuel allows vehicles to run on nearly pure ethanol. A senior road transport ministry official said fuel beyond E20 (20 per cent ethanol-blended petrol) and up to E100 is intended only for vehicles designed and certified to use it and will not be applicable for other vehicles. Vehicles that use E20 or normal fuel can't use E85 or E100 fuel. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has changed certain vehicle classification thresholds, fuel specifications, and technical references used in emission-related tables and testing provisions. Additionally, the government has raised the vehicle weight limit to 3,500 kg from the previous threshold of 3,000 kg for light petrol and diesel vehicles affected by these changes. In June this year, Maruti Suzuki India launched India's first flex-fuel passenger vehicl

Ethanol supplies top 9.87 bn litres by Sep, grain feedstocks lead: AIDA

India's cumulative ethanol receipts reached 987 crore litres by the end of September in the current supply year, with grain-based feedstocks accounting for more than 71 per cent of the total, the All India Distillers' Association (AIDA) said on Thursday. Receipts by oil marketing companies stood at 987 crore litres in Ethanol Supply Year 2025-26 (November-October), against a total contracted allocation of 1,197 crore litres, or 82.5 per cent fulfilment, AIDA said in a statement. Grain-based feedstocks supplied 705 crore litres, or 71.4 per cent of receipts, against an allocation of 908 crore litres, a fulfilment rate of 77.6 per cent. Maize was the largest single contributor at 413 crore litres, or over 41 per cent of total receipts, against an allocation of 614 crore litres. Surplus rice from the Food Corporation of India (FCI) supplied 222 crore litres against an allocation of 233 crore litres, while damaged food grains supplied 70 crore litres, above their 60 crore-litre ...

Ethanol blending does not damage vehicles, diversifies agri sector: Gadkari

Union minister Nitin Gadkari on Thursday debunked claims that blending ethanol with petrol was damaging motor vehicles, asserting that it facilitated diversification of the agriculture sector. Addressing the inaugural session of the 'Bihar Investor Summit 2026: The Emerging Investment Destination of India', Gadkari said that since 2022, 4 crore four-wheelers and 20 crore two-wheelers have been running on petrol mixed with ethanol. "I challenge anybody to come up with the complaint that his or her vehicle has suffered damage on this account. Of course, those with vested interests may have some other story to tell," said Gadkari, who holds portfolios of Road Transport and Highways. "We must understand that the decision to blend ethanol with petrol was taken with a view to diversification of agriculture towards energy and power sectors... Our farmers shall no longer remain 'anna data' (food producers) but also become 'urja data' (energy producers)," he added. Gadkari claimed all leadi

Fuel blending beyond E20 only via flex-fuel vehicles, says Tarun Kapoor

Says E20 works well and marginal decline in efficiency compensated by higher octane value

Govt should adopt flexible approach to ethanol-blending programme: ICRIER

The government should be flexible with its Ethanol Blended Petrol programme, maintaining the E20 target as a long-term goal while allowing for a temporary reduction to E15 when domestic ethanol availability is insufficient, according to a research paper from ICRIER. The paper, titled Food vs Fuel: Recalibrating India's Ethanol Blending Strategy, said the choice between maintaining E20, importing ethanol and temporarily reducing blending should ultimately depend on their relative economic costs under prevailing conditions. "Such a mechanism would allow the programme to respond to temporary agricultural shocks without compromising the longer-term objective, the paper co-authored by agricultural economist Ashok Gulati said. India has rapidly expanded its Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) Programme. Ethanol is produced from agricultural commodities such as sugarcane, maize and surplus rice. "The final safeguard should be flexibility in the blending rate itself. "The 20 per cent target can

Alternative fuels zoom past petrol in share of PV sales: Fada data

This comes at a time when customers are raising concerns over the E20 (20 per cent ethanol and 80 per cent petrol blended) fuel

Blended fuel and BJP's mileage

While EBP may be a great idea, it needed three to four years of preparation. Now, the result is a sugar shortage, imports that are bleeding foreign exchange, and higher prices in the festive season

Sugar and the politics over price: Import order fuels ethanol debate

Govt's sugar import order sparks debate over ethanol diversion and exports amid a perceived supply shortage

Can India sell E10 alongside E20? The logistics challenge explained

As E20 becomes the nationwide petrol blend, the question is whether India's existing fuel network can accommodate E10 alongside it. Here's what experts have to say

CEA calls for E10 petrol option alongside E20 amid consumer concerns

E20 - petrol with 20% ethanol blended in it - was rolled out last year and since April 1, it has been the only fuel available for sale ‌at gas stations across the country

Carmakers discussed E20 contamination risks before public retreat: Report

Maruti Suzuki, Tata Motors and Mahindra discussed concerns over chloride and moisture in E20 fuel even as the industry publicly backed the government's ethanol rollout

Good policy needs good process: Lessons for Modi government's reforms

Lessons from ethanol blending in petrol and levying a fee on digital payments should not be ignored

Govt mulls curbing use of cane for ethanol to tame record-high sugar prices

Mills diverted about 3 million metric tonnes of sugar, or around 10 per cent of total output, to ethanol production during the current year ending in September

Only 4 cases of ethanol contamination reported so far, says Hardeep Puri

Of 2,000 fuel samples collected each day, only 4 cases of fuel contamination have been reported so far, oil minister Hardeep Singh Puri noted

E20 petrol meets quality norms, say OMCs after nationwide fuel tests

State-run oil marketing companies (OMCs) said on Friday that additional nationwide testing of E20 petrol found no evidence to support claims of high moisture or chloride contamination, with fuel quality remaining within prescribed limits across the supply chain. The intensified testing followed recent media reports alleging the presence of moisture and chloride in E20 (20 per cent ethanol blended petrol). Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) in a joint statement said the exercise covered the entire supply chain and reaffirmed that fuel quality remained "consistently well within prescribed limits". "Contrary to certain assertions being made, there is no evidence of any alarm on account of fuel contamination validated by extensive and scientifically designed tests," the companies said. The three OMCs said the government has prescribed stringent chloride specifications for ethanol used in petrol blending a

India's ethanol blending drive backed by science: Brazil trade minister

Brazil's trade minister says India's ethanol blending programme is based on scientific research, while highlighting opportunities to expand crude oil exports and biofuel cooperation

Siam's E20 U-turn deepens debate over fuel quality and vehicle safety

The industry body first flagged chloride contamination and vehicle-part failures, but later withdrew its letter as India's ethanol policy became a wider political and commercial issue