Centre Rules Out Rollback of E20 Petrol Policy

The Central Government has reaffirmed that it will continue with the E20 petrol programme and has no plans to revert to E0 or E10 fuel. In a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Petroleum Suresh Gopi said the ethanol blending policy was introduced only after detailed consultations with NITI Aayog, automobile manufacturers, oil marketing companies, ARAI, SIAM and other stakeholders. The government also stated that supplying multiple fuel variants across more than one lakh retail outlets would create major logistical and operational challenges.

Addressing concerns over vehicle performance, the government said E10-compatible vehicles may witness a marginal fuel efficiency reduction of 3–5 percent with E20 fuel, but the higher octane rating offers better acceleration. It also stated that no evidence has been found linking E20 petrol to engine damage in over 20 crore two-wheelers and more than 3 crore petrol cars. According to the Centre, the ethanol blending programme has saved over ₹1.97 lakh crore in foreign exchange, reduced crude oil imports by around 316 lakh metric tonnes and cut carbon emissions by nearly 952 lakh metric tonnes.