New Delhi: India is making a policy shift towards high-blend ethanol and flex-fuel vehicles as war in West Asia threatens to disrupt the country’s energy supply. Government officials are in talks with carmakers and state refiners to coordinate the rollout of engines capable of running on up to 85% ethanol, Sujata Sharma, joint secretary in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MopNG), said while addressing the media on the war in West Asia and the domestic fuel stockpile situation.
The push for energy self-sufficiency has gained urgency due to the volatility of the supply chain near the Strait of Hormuz, where 60% of India’s oil imports come from. New Delhi is now looking at its current 20% blending target as a stepping stone to even higher blends.
Among other things, the Department of Petroleum and Natural Gas is changing jet fuel standards to encourage the adoption of sustainable aviation fuel. A new amendment to aviation marketing standards now legally allows synthetic hydrocarbons to be blended with conventional jet fuel, laying the groundwork for mandatory Implementation of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) from 2027.
The Department amended the Aviation Turbine Fuel (Marketing Regulation) Regulations 2001 to allow ethanol to be blended into aviation fuel. In a notification dated April 17, MopNG said, “Aviation turbine fuel is a complex mixture of hydrocarbons conforming to IS 1571 specification or a mixture thereof with synthesized 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 1% SAF blending in jet fuel by 2027, 2% by 2028 and 5% by 2030.
A fine balance
The government has to manage a delicate balance: getting manufacturers to produce flex-fuel engines while pressuring oil marketing companies (OMCs) to install the necessary infrastructure to distribute higher blends. While the government is also pushing for electric induction cooktops to offset the liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) shortage, it remains focused on decoupling the country’s transport sector from the volatile global oil market.
Mint had earlier reported that the government is planning a policy push to allow the introduction of flex-fuel vehicles that can run on ethanol blends of up to 85% in petrol.
On Tuesday, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari said India should aim to achieve 100% ethanol blending in the near future. He said the vulnerability in oil exports in the middle The crisis in West Asia forced the country to become self-sufficient in the energy sector.
Nidhi Kesarwani, Joint Secretary, Department of Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) told the media on efforts to support the industry during the supply crisis that the mandatory Energy Efficiency and Quality Control (QCO) Ordinance deadlines for induction hobs have been extended and corresponding amendments and gazette notifications issued on April 6 in view of manufacturers’ difficulties in meeting the earlier deadlines.
The push for electric cookers comes at a time when LPG supplies have been restricted and the government has urged citizens to switch to gas and induction hobs.
