The Supreme Court ordered status quo on the Karnataka High Court's direction to enhance ethanol allocation for ESY 2025-26. Hearing BPCL's plea, the court examined concerns that altering allocations could disrupt India's 20 per cent ethanol blending programme and trigger similar legal claims
Though higher ethanol blending can boost energy security and reduce the oil import bill, concerns of vehicle users and environmentalists must also be addressed
Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri announced a phased rollout of up to 5,000 E85 flex-fuel stations by 2027. The project aims to drive ethanol adoption, slash crude imports, and generate ₹12,403 crore for farmers
The Centre has proposed amendments to motor vehicle rules to allow higher ethanol and biodiesel blends, including E100 and B100 fuels. The move aims to promote cleaner energy use, reduce fossil fuel imports and support India’s long-term energy self-reliance and sustainability goals
Nitin Gadkari urged India to move toward 100% ethanol blending, citing energy security risks from West Asia and high oil imports, while promoting green hydrogen and biofuels as part of a self-reliant clean energy transition
According to NITI Aayog, initially, the pan-India ethanol production capacity will be raised from the current 700 crore litres to 1500 crore litres. Further, a phased rollout of E10 fuel will be undertaken by April 2022.
