Will assess ethanol blending plan before setting higher targets: Oil Min Puri

Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri has said the government will “assess" the ethanol blending programme before setting higher targets. The statement comes amidst the backlash from vehicle owners over the E20 fuel damaging engines, lowering fuel efficiency, and no reduction in fuel prices. While the government has maintained that the 20 per cent ethanol blended with petrol is environmentally safe to use, vehicle users believe otherwise.

No plans to leapfrog to higher blended ethanol fuel: Puri

Speaking at a recent event, Puri said, “We had the target of 20 per cent blending — for which the target date was 2030, and we have done it six years in advance. I will put a full stop there; we will assess where we have to go. All the stories you hear that we are now going to do another leapfrog, etc, we haven't come to that conclusion."

He further added, "All the stories you hear about biofuels being harmful for engines, there's a lot of 'BS' - 'B' capital, 'S', capital. And I don't know what that means, but it's a specialiser."

There were reports of the government planning to move up to a 27 per cent ethanol blend in petrol. A recent report also suggested the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) was instructed to come up with norms for the E27 fuel on priority. It now seems the plans to introduce the same will be delayed for the time being.

Oil Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said all stories calling biofuels harmful are rubbish (Representative Image) (PTI)

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Oil Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said all stories calling biofuels harmful are rubbish (Representative Image) (PTI)

The government has mandated the use of E20 petrol across all fuel pumps nationwide, which has sparked backlash from vehicle users. Motorists have complained about the fuel damaging the engines, with increased wear and tear due to the corrosive nature of ethanol. Vehicle owners have reported a 15-20 per cent drop in fuel efficiency on older vehicles, which were not designed to run on E20 fuel. In contrast, the government claims the drop in fuel efficiency to be just 1-2 per cent.

There are questions about the impact of ethanol blending on the fuel price, and how there has been no reduction in fuel prices despite the higher ethanol blend. Fuel prices have largely remained stagnant over the last three years.

There have also been concerns about the production of ethanol, which requires water-intensive crops. However, the government says the 20 per cent ethanol extracts from sugarcane or maize is a national program aimed at cutting emissions and raising the income of farmers.

Biofuels necessary to reduce dependency on oil imports

Puri said that the percentage of ethanol blended in petrol was 1.4 per cent in 2014. This has increased to 20 per cent in the last decade. The oil ministry has also dismissed fears about the use of E20, calling the claims baseless. Puri added that some older vehicles may need to replace some rubber parts and gaskets, calling it a “simple process."

The government has been vocal about plans to introduce a higher blend of ethanol in fuel to reduce dependency on the import of crude oil. Puri said that India is 88 per cent dependent on imports to meet its oil needs, calling biofuels and cleaner energy “imperative of the time."

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