Stakeholder Consultations Underway For Flex Fuel Engines, Ethanol Blending In Petrol Beyond 20%, Says Official

(MENAFN- Live Mint) New Delhi: India is making a policy move towards high-blend ethanol and flex-fuel vehicles as the West Asia war threatens to disrupt the country's energy supply. Government officials are holding talks with automakers and state-run refiners to coordinate the rollout of engines capable of running on up to 85% ethanol, said Sujata Sharma, joint secretary, ministry of petroleum and natural gas (MopNG), while addressing the media on the West Asia war and the domestic fuel stock situation.

The push for energy self-sufficiency has gained urgency due to supply chain volatility near the Strait of Hormuz, from where 60% of India's crude imports are sourced. New Delhi is now looking at its current 20% blending target as a stepping stone to even higher blends.

Also Read | India plans E85 flex-fuel vehicle policy push amid West Asia oil risks

Beyond the road, the ministry of petroleum and natural gas is changing fuel standards for aircraft to enhance adoption of sustainable jet fuel. A new amendment to aviation marketing norms now legally permits blending synthesized hydrocarbons with traditional jet fuel, laying the groundwork for a mandatory Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) rollout from 2027.

The ministry has amended the Aviation Turbine Fuel (Regulation of Marketing) Order, 2001, to allow the blending of ethanol in jet fuel. In a notification on 17 April, the MopNG said,“Aviation turbine fuel is a complex mixture of hydrocarbons conforming to IS 1571 specification or its blend with synthesised hydrocarbons.”

Sustainable Aviation Fuel is produced from renewable feedstocks such as ethanol, agricultural residues, biomass, waste oils, and municipal waste. The government has already set a target of achieving 1% SAF blending with jet fuel by 2027, 2% by 2028, and 5% by 2030.

Delicate balance

The government has to manage a delicate balance: making manufacturers produce flex-fuel engines while pushing oil marketing companies (OMCs) to install the necessary infrastructure to distribute higher blends. While the government is also pushing electric induction cooktops to offset liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) shortages, the focus continues to be on delinking the country's transport sector from the volatile global oil market.

Mint earlier reported that the government is planning a policy push to enable the adoption of flex fuel vehicles, which can run on ethanol blends of up to 85% in petrol.

Also Read | Energy crisis may accelerate EV uptake, sharpen focus on ethanol blending

On Tuesday, the union minister for road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari said that India should aspire to achieve 100% ethanol blending in the near future. He said vulnerabilities in oil exports amid the West Asia crisis have made it necessary for the country to become self-reliant in the energy sector.

Addressing the media on the efforts to support the industry amid the supply crisis, Nidhi Kesarwani joint secretary, department for promotion of industry and internal trade (DPIIT), said that the mandatory energy efficiency and Quality Control Order (QCO) timelines for induction cooktops have been extended, and the corresponding amendment and gazette notifications were issued on 6 April, in view of manufacturers' difficulty in meeting earlier deadlines, she said.

The push for electric cookstoves comes at a time when LPG supplies have been squeezed, and the government has urged citizens to shift to piped natural gas and induction cooktops.

Also Read | Maruti to Mahindra: Why India's top carmakers are doubling down on flex-fuel

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