Concern is being expressed everywhere about mixing more than 20 percent ethanol in petrol. Opposition parties are also continuously attacking the central government on this issue. Meanwhile, while addressing the concerns of the people, the government said that no decision has been taken yet regarding mixing 20% ethanol in petrol. It also said that the government has not yet received any complaints regarding the performance of vehicles after the use of E20 petrol.
Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Suresh Gopi told the Rajya Sabha on Monday that the government has not yet taken any decision to increase the amount of ethanol added to petrol above the current level of 20 per cent. He said that any future increase in this regard will be decided only after scientific study and discussions with industry people.
‘Will study before decision’
Union Minister Gopi said in a written reply to a question, “Till now the government has not taken any decision to increase the amount of ethanol added to petrol by more than 20 percent.” He said any step beyond this would be taken “only after detailed study at the scientific and technical level as well as discussions with all concerned parties including automobile manufacturing companies, oil marketing companies and research institutes”.
He said that India has achieved the target of mixing 20 percent ethanol about 5 years ahead of schedule. After the program was implemented in a phased manner over more than 2 decades, the average ethanol blending has increased from around 1.53 per cent in 2013-14 to 20 per cent in the 2025-26 supply year.
Huge savings in foreign currency: Gopi
Talking about huge savings due to blending of ethanol in petrol, Gopi said that since 2014-15, this campaign has saved more than Rs 1.97 trillion in foreign exchange, reduced the consumption of crude oil by about 316 lakh tonnes, prevented about 952 lakh tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions and increased the additional income of farmers by more than Rs 1.66 lakh crore.
On the question related to complaints regarding the use of ethanol, the minister said that the government has not received any “widespread or concrete complaints” from car manufacturers, automobile associations or consumer groups regarding engine failure, fuel-pump related problems, corrosion or water pollution related to E20 fuel. However, he paid attention to the concerns being expressed in the media and social media. They have also been examined scientifically.
Union Minister Gopi said there are more than 20 crore two-wheelers and more than 3 crore petrol cars in the country – including many before E20 certification – which have been running on E15-Plus and E19-E20 fuel for more than three and a half years and two and a half years, respectively, and during this period “there have been no confirmed incidents of engine failure or stalling of vehicles.”
‘No mention of any loss so far’
He cited service data from a major four-wheeler manufacturer, which covered 2.84 crore vehicles in 2025-26 (including 1.5 crore non-E20 certified vehicles). No fuel related loss was mentioned in this data. He said that a major two-wheeler manufacturing company has also given similar information.
Following concerns raised over mileage, the Union Minister said that any reduction in mileage in older, E10-designed vehicles is “usually very small” (about 3-5 per cent), while E20 offers higher octane and cleaner combustion. He further said that manufacturing companies continue to provide warranty on vehicles using E20 fuel.
On food security, Gopi said the 20 per cent blending target has not reduced the availability of food crops as only surplus grain is used for ethanol – this surplus grain is decided only after meeting the requirements of the Public Distribution System, National Food Security Act and buffer-stock. The quantity of rice used for ethanol increased from 31.11 lakh tonnes in 2024-25 to 39.28 lakh tonnes in 2025-26 (till June 30), while the use of maize during the same period decreased from 131.18 lakh tonnes in 2024-25 to 67.87 lakh tonnes.
He said there has been no impact on retail inflation of sugar and rice and described the program as a “waste-to-wealth” approach.
On water use, Union Minister of State Gopi said that the government had made it to maintain water sustainability, in which apart from sugarcane, other feedstocks like maize were also included. The share of maize in ethanol production increased from 0 in 2021-22 to about 37 percent in 2025-26.
He said that in ethanol plants, 3-5 liters of processed water is used for every liter of ethanol produced, and distilleries are required to operate as zero-liquid-discharge units. Gopi said that government oil marketing companies purchased 705.43 crore liters of ethanol worth Rs 49,577 crore till June in 2025-26. Earlier, 1,033.31 crore liters of ethanol worth Rs 73,996 crore were purchased in 2024-25 and 679.04 crore liters of ethanol worth Rs 48,757 crore in 2023-24.
The Union Minister also informed that currently 501 ethanol suppliers are registered with these companies. He said there is currently no proposal to make low-blend or non-blend petrol mandatory at select outlets, as running a separate supply chain would increase costs. Because of this, the benefits to the environment and farmers’ income will be reduced.
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