Successful Farming | India going to Ethanol ahead of schedule

Mar 10,2023

At the India Energy Week (IEW) 2023 in Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled the higher 20 per cent ethanol-mixed gasoline two months ahead of its planned April release.   

Modi stated, "We have increased ethanol blending in petrol from 1.5% in 2014 to 10% and are now moving toward 20% blending."

The E10 goal, which stipulates that 10% of the nation's gasoline now contains ethanol, has previously been declared accomplished by the government. 

In the first phase, 15 cities will be covered by the Ethanol Blended Petrol Program, which will be expanded throughout the country in the next two years. The program, which has already saved India up to Rs 53,894 crore in foreign exchange and benefits farmers, will offer E-20 (petrol with 20% ethanol) at 84 petrol pumps in 11 states and territories. 

Oil Minister Hardeep Singh Puri announced that India achieved 10% ethanol blending in June 2022, 5 months ahead of schedule, and E-20 blended petrol will now be rolled out ahead of schedule on a pilot basis. 

He further said, “We also advanced the availability of E20 ((petrol with 20 per cent ethanol) blended petrol to 2025, 5 years from earlier planned in 2030…As a country on a fast trajectory of economic growth, India is projected to witness the largest increase in energy demand of any country over the next two decades, accounting for close to 28 per cent of incremental global growth in energy demand.”