Govt pushes E100 fuel, flex-fuel vehicles; allows ethanol blending in aviation fuel to cut crude imports

THe regime is considering E100 fire blending and a modulation to flex-fuel vehicles to cut back bharat’s dependence on imported crude, senior officials said on Wednesday, while also announcing that the Centre has allowed blending in aviation fuel.The steps come amid a growing energy crisis triggered by the war in West Asia, which has choked supplies of crude oil and gas.Giving a daily update on the energy supply situation, petroleum ministry joint secretary Sujata Sharma said the government has allowed blends of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), produced from used cooking oil or ethanol. She was referring to the ministry’s gazette notification published on Tuesday.The notification legally defines aviation turbine fuel (ATF) both as a complex mixture of hydrocarbons and as synthesised hydrocarbons blended with cooking oil or ethanol, creating a legal basis for SAF. “The way we have done for MS (motor spirit or petrol), it is on the similar lines,” she said.Also Read | India amends ATF rules, allows ethanol blending in aviation fuelReplying to a question on E100 and flex-fuel vehicles (FFVs), Sharma said: “I must say that it is an idea whose time has arrived.”What is E100?E100 refers to fuel with 100% ethanol content — or near-100%, since small quantities of water improve combustion. Flex-fuel vehicles are designed to run on any mixture of ethanol and petrol, from pure petrol to E100, with onboard sensors adjusting engine parameters accordingly. There is precedent: Brazil operates the world’s most mature flex-fuel programme since 2003, where sugarcane-derived ethanol powers a large share of the vehicle fleet – though users typically have a choice to buy petrol with lower ethanol content.Transitioning to E100 or high-ethanol blends requires significant vehicle reconfiguration: fuel system components — seals, fuel lines, injectors — must be upgraded to handle ethanol’s corrosive properties, and engine management systems need retuning for ethanol’s different combustion characteristics. The fuel delivers roughly a third less energy per litre than petrol, requiring larger fuel tank capacity or more frequent refuelling.“By blending we are saving on our imports and the stakeholders’ consultations are going on. And in the due course we will inform you the decision there also. And regarding flex-fuel also, the government is trying to bring all the stakeholders together,” Sharma said, adding that the timeline would depend on the readiness of both automobile companies and petroleum refiners. “So, that exercise is going on,” she said.Speaking about efforts of the department for promotion of industry and internal trade in facilitating industries, DPIIT joint secretary Nidhi Kesarwani said the department has taken several measures to facilitate supply of energy to the industry. DPIIT is an arm of the commerce and industry ministry.The government has also granted several regulatory exemptions to encourage adoption and use of alternate fuels across industrial sectors, she said, while giving updates on government initiatives to facilitate energy supplies amid the ongoing war in West Asia.DPIIT’s arm petroleum and explosives safety organization (PESO) has expeditiously given regulatory approvals to 467 applications for installing compressed natural gas (CNG) and compressed bio gas (CBG) dispensing stations between March 25 and April 21, she said.In order to safeguard domestic availability, the government imposed a complete export ban on ammonium nitrate on March 18, she said. Ammonium nitrate is used as an explosive in coal production. According to the March 18 notification, the decision was taken in view of “current geopolitical tensions” in West Asia and to ensure adequate ammonium nitrate supply for “uninterrupted coal production” in India.The government also issued guidelines on April 2 permitting night-time operations, particularly for liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) bottling plants, which resulted in extended operational hours and enhanced production capacity, she said.The government also granted permission to Petronet LNG Ltd on March 30 to commission an additional 5 million metric tonnes per annum (MMTPA) re-gasification capacity at the Dahej terminal, taking total capacity to 22.5 MMTPA, aimed at improving natural gas availability for city gas distribution (CGD) networks, she said.“Stakeholder consultations were held by DPIIT in coordination with the Department of Commerce and the Ministry of Power to address demand–supply challenges in the induction cooktop sector and assess immediate measures required to stabilize supply and prices,” Kesarwani said.She said the government has already reduced basic customs duties (BCDs) on various inputs to give relief to specific sectors and enhanced energy allocations — particularly commercial LPG and PNG — for their unhindered operations. Industries covered include paint, paper, tyre, glass, leather, footwear and ceramics.