No plans to raise ethanol blending in Petrol beyond 20%: Union minister Hardeep Puri

Mangalore Today News Network

Panaji, Oct 27, 2026: Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Tuesday said the Centre has no immediate plans to increase ethanol blending in petrol beyond the current 20% level.

Speaking on the sidelines of the inauguration of the 29th Energy Technology and Innovation Meet in South Goa, Puri dismissed concerns surrounding E20 fuel, describing the misinformation being circulated about it as a “contrived narrative”.

“The 20% ethanol blending was the target, and there is no desire, just now, to increase it beyond 20%,” he said, responding to a question about discussions on E20 fuel.

The government has been promoting ethanol-blended petrol to reduce India’s dependence on imported crude oil, which contributes significantly to the country’s current account deficit. E20 petrol contains 20% ethanol and 80% petrol and has already been rolled out across the country.

Puri said he had seen social media posts claiming that vehicles had broken down because of the blended fuel. He maintained that vehicles designed to comply with E20 standards were intended to run on the fuel, while some older vehicles manufactured before 2003 had experienced problems.

The minister said the introduction of E20 petrol had helped the government save ₹1.6 lakh crore, of which ₹1.4 lakh crore had been transferred to farmers.

“Farmers have become Urjadatas (providers of energy) from Annadatas (providers of food),” he said.

Responding to reports of problems experienced by E20 users, Puri suggested that transportation might have contributed to some concerns, alleging that tankers used to transport the blended fuel were also being used for other purposes.

On claims of engine damage, he said an automobile manufacturer had filed a case against a person who made such allegations.

“Six crore vehicles visit fuel dispensing stations every day. If engine damage was being caused, you would have seen vehicles breaking down all over the place,” he said, reiterating that the concerns surrounding E20 were being amplified through misinformation.

The three-day Energy Technology and Innovation Meet, organised by the Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, was inaugurated at Betul village in South Goa. This year’s theme is ‘Accelerating Energy Innovation: From Research to Commercialisation’.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways on Monday notified amendments to the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, allowing flex-fuel vehicles capable of running on blends containing up to E100, or nearly pure ethanol.

Unlike conventional petrol vehicles, flex-fuel vehicles are designed to operate on higher ethanol blends, including E85, which contains 85% ethanol and 15% petrol, and E100.

Major automakers, including Toyota Motor Corporation, Tata Motors and Hyundai Motor Company, are developing flex-fuel vehicles for the Indian market as the government seeks to reduce the country’s dependence on fossil fuel imports.