Ethanol blending in petrol reaches 15.90 per cent in September

By
 Prakash Jha
 -

In September, ethanol blending in petrol reached 15.90 per cent, and cumulative ethanol blending from November 2023 to September 2024 touched 13.80 per cent.

As of October 1, 2024, 16,756 PSU outlets out of a total of 83,190 PSU retail outlets are dispensing E20 ethanol-blended MS.


According to available official data, ethanol received by PSU OMCs under the EBP program in September 2024 was 58.6 crore liters, with a cumulative total of 585.2 crore liters from November 2023 to September 2024. Ethanol blended under the EBP program in September 2024 amounted to 62.4 crore liters, totaling 607.4 crore liters from November 2023 to September 2024.

The government has set a target of achieving 20 per cent ethanol blending with petrol by 2025 and is confident in reaching this goal.

Recently, oil marketing companies (OMCs) invited tenders for the supply of 916 crore liters of denatured anhydrous ethanol for the Ethanol Supply Year (ESY) 2024-25. The response exceeded the required quantity, with over 970 crore liters of offers submitted by manufacturers across the country.

India’s ethanol production capacity has expanded significantly, now reaching 1,648 crore liters. The government is optimistic that this growing capacity will meet the country’s domestic ethanol needs. However, to achieve the 20 per cent blending target, approximately 1,016 crore liters of ethanol will be required, totaling 1,350 crore liters when accounting for other uses. By 2025, it is estimated that an ethanol production capacity of around 1,700 crore liters will be necessary, assuming plants operate at 80 per cent efficiency.