New Delhi: Petrol in India will not go beyond a mix of 20% ethanol as of now, Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri said on Tuesday.
“The Centre has no immediate plan to increase the ethanol blending in petrol beyond the current 20 per cent,” Puri said at the 29th Energy Technology and Innovation meet in South Goa, dismissing speculation that the Centre is mulling higher ethanol blending.
Puri said the 20% target for ethanol mixing has been achieved.
The announcement comes amid debate over E20 petrol and concerns about its impact on vehicles.
Puri dismissed the criticism a “contrived narrative”, alleging that misinformation about biofuels was being spread.
Ethanol is an alcohol-based fuel, and E20 is petrol with 20% ethanol mixed in it.
E20 fuel adoption is meant to reduce dependency on imported crude. Most of India’s comes from overseas, hence more home-grown ethanol will lessen imported petrol and increase income for farmers.
Though India achieved its E20 target ahead of schedule, blending petrol on a wider scale has triggered concerns among several vehicle owners, leading to mixed reactions and controversies.
The principal questions centre around fuel economy and compatibility, particularly in older petrol-powered vehicles.
Even as the government made it clear it has no immediate intention of increasing the blending percentage beyond 20%, it has okayed E100 fuel with nearly 100% ethanol but with conditions.
