News18 | What is E20, the Ethanol-blended Petrol PM Modi Launched & How Will It Affect Your Car?

Feb 06,2023

Petrol doped with 20 per cent ethanol was rolled out on Monday at select petrol pumps in 11 states and union territories as part of a programme to increase use of biofuels to cut emissions as well as dependence on foreign exchange-draining imports.

At present, 10 per cent ethanol is blended in petrol (10 per cent ethanol, 90 per cent petrol) and the government is looking to double this quantity by 2025.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the higher 20 per cent ethanol blended petrol two months ahead of the planned rollout in April, at the India Energy Week (IEW) 2023 in Delhi. “We have increased ethanol blending in petrol from 1.5 per cent (in 2014) to 10 per cent and are now progressing towards 20 per cent blending," Modi said.

WHAT IS E20?
A biofuel called ethanol, also known as C2H5OH, is produced spontaneously when sugar is fermented. It is mostly produced by extracting sugar from sugarcane, although other organic materials, such as cereal grains, can also be used to make it.

India has started the Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) initiative to blend this biofuel with gasoline to cut back on the usage of fossil fuels as part of its pledges to reduce carbon emissions, a report by Times of India said. The government previously declared that the E10 objective has been met, meaning that 10% of the country’s gasoline now contains ethanol.

INITIATIVE STARTED
In the first phase, 15 cities will be covered and in the next two years it will be expanded throughout the country.

India saved as much as Rs 53,894 crore in forex outgo from 10 per cent blending besides benefiting the farmers.

E-20 (petrol with 20 per cent ethanol) will be available at 84 petrol pumps of three state-owned fuel retailers in 11 States/UTs.

Oil Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said India achieved blending of 10 per cent ethanol in petrol, 5 months in advance during June’2022.

“We also advanced the availability of E20 blended petrol to 2025, 5 years from earlier planned in 2030," he said, adding that now E20 is being rolled out ahead of schedule on a pilot basis.