The petroleum industry's representatives asked the industry's major constituents to work on formulating ethanol as a clean cooking fuel for Indian households as part of efforts to drive down dependence on imported LPG and increase the use of biofuel in India.
RS Ravi, Director (Downstream) at the Federation of Indian Petroleum Industry (FIPI), asked industry players to make this consideration during his address to the All India Distillers' Association (AIDA) conference, drawing attention to ongoing research on ethanol-based cooking stoves.
"A lot of work is happening" at agencies like the LPG Equipment Research Centre (LERC) and various IITs to develop ethanol-compatible and efficient cooking stoves, with prototypes likely to be ready soon, Ravi said.
Ravi requested the All India Distillers Association (IDA) and its members to champion this shift by tying up with manufacturers to increase the scale of production of these stoves, and making developing a feasible supply chain to deliver ethanol directly to households a priority.
"This is a different ballgame. As of now, the way you are supporting the oil industry is by supplying bulk... It needs to change," Ravi stated. "How this supply chain is going to be developed, what form it needs to be delivered, the form factor is very critical."
He added, "Can AIDA come forward and give us ideas in terms of how we make this ethanol as a cooking fuel possible in India?"
Ravi's remarks come after India's successful rollout of 20% ethanol blending (E20) in petrol. He gave credit to the distillery industry for facilitating the programme and a recent government notification ordering the sale of E20 petrol with a minimum Research Octane Number (RON) of 95 from April 1, 2026.
The move to higher-octane E20 petrol is expected to boost vehicle power and efficiency, addressing past concerns over lower-octane blends. Ravi also asked the ethanol industry to speed up isobutanol (IBA) production for diesel blending and develop ethanol-to-Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) tech.
He stressed the importance of the cooking fuel initiative, highlighting research on ethanol stoves as a cleaner LPG alternative for rural and semi-urban areas.
The FIPI official noted that transitioning ethanol from bulk industrial supply to household-level distribution would require innovative logistics, suitable packaging or dispensing formats, and last-mile delivery mechanisms.
India has been aggressively pushing ethanol blending in petrol to cut crude oil imports, save foreign exchange, reduce emissions, and support farmers. Extending the biofuel ecosystem to cooking fuel could further diversify ethanol demand and enhance energy security.
Ravi called for collaborative efforts between the oil industry and distillers to make ethanol-based cooking a practical reality in the country.
(With PTI Inputs)
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