NEW DELHI: Ethanol-blended diesel has failed to meet mandatory safety specifications after the addition of ethanol caused a sharp drop in the fuel’s flash point, effectively ruling out wider use of the blend unless the technical issue is resolved, minister of state for petroleum and natural gas Suresh Gopi told Parliament on Monday.Public-sector oil marketing companies (OMCs) carried out scientific evaluations of ethanol-diesel blends through their research and development centres, in collaboration with accredited laboratories and automobile manufacturers, Gopi said in a written reply.The tests found that ethanol-blended diesel did not meet the prescribed flash-point specification for diesel because the flash point fell drastically in the presence of ethanol.The findings come as India seeks to expand the use of ethanol as a transport fuel and create additional avenues for its growing domestic production. The government’s ethanol blending programme has so far focused on petrol, with a target of achieving 20% blending.On the possibility of using isobutanol in diesel, Gopi said it is “presently not being blended with diesel.”The minister also said the government has not taken any decision to increase ethanol blending in petrol beyond 20%. Any proposal to raise the blending level would be considered only after detailed scientific and technical studies and consultations with automobile manufacturers, OMCs and research institutions.Meanwhile, state-run OMCs floated their first tender in September 2025 to procure around 10.5 billion litres of ethanol for the 2025-26 ethanol supply year. They received offers for nearly 17.6 billion litres, around 68% more than the quantity sought, and allocated 10.485 billion litres to 378 registered suppliers.The government is also exploring ethanol as a potential cooking fuel as it looks to reduce India’s dependence on imported LPG and make better use of surplus domestic ethanol production capacity.Gopi said ethanol-based cooking fuel could emerge as a biofuel alternative to fossil-fuel-based cooking solutions, potentially reducing LPG import dependence while providing a cleaner cooking option.The LPG Equipment Research Centre, a joint venture of Indian Oil Corporation, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation and Bharat Petroleum Corporation, along with public-sector OMCs, is working on developing ethanol-based clean cooking alternatives, he said.The government has also introduced measures to promote domestic ethanol production, including interest-subvention schemes, support for cooperative sugar mills to convert existing sugarcane-based distilleries into multi-feedstock plants, and long-term offtake agreements between OMCs and dedicated ethanol producers.(With PTI inputs)
