- Union Petroleum Minister Puri dismissed controversy on E20 petrol as manufactured after E85 launch
- E20 has been in market nearly two years; backlash linked to E85 flex-fuel vehicle introduction
- He rejected calls for separate fuel grades at pumps citing infrastructure limitations
Union Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri has dismissed the raging controversy around E20 ethanol-blended petrol as manufactured, arguing that the backlash surfaced only after India launched E85 flex-fuel vehicles on 5 June, and not because of any genuine spike in consumer grievances.
Speaking to NDTV's Gaurie Dwivedi, Puri pointed out that E20 has been in the market for close to two years and E15 for three-and-a-half years before that, asking pointedly: "Why does a controversy take place now?" He linked the timing to the E85 launch by Hero Motors, Suzuki and Toyota, saying, "Someone must have thought that if E85 takes off in India... let's cast a doubt." He drew a parallel with the earlier LPG shortage row, which he said also turned out to be overstated: "We not only survived it, but we did rather well out of it."
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The minister pushed back on Karnataka minister Priyank Kharge's charge that the ethanol transition amounted to "an experiment on 3.6 crore Indians." Puri said the Attorney General's remark before the Supreme Court concerned procurement quantities under a best-endeavour clause, not blending percentages, adding, "he has misinterpreted that to talk about percentage of blending."
The case in question, an appeal filed by Bharat Petroleum against a Karnataka High Court order, saw the apex court order maintenance of status quo on ethanol allocation for the current supply year, staying a High Court direction that had asked oil marketing companies to reconsider allocation to a dedicated ethanol producer. During the hearing, the Centre told the court that the E20 programme "is still at an evolving stage," intended to strengthen energy security, augment farmers' income and reduce carbon emissions. The Attorney General's office subsequently clarified that no submission had been made describing the E20 programme itself as an experiment, and urged media organisations to report the proceedings accurately.
Puri Concedes Mileage Dip From Ethanol
On technical concerns, Puri acknowledged some loss in mileage, saying, "Ethanol does result in some percentage of less mileage," while noting the effect depends on "driving habits, the kind of vehicle you are using, the kind of speed with which you are going." On older vehicles needing part replacements, he said a gasket due at 50,000 km "you can probably have to look at it at Rs 30,000," but maintained this did not amount to a widespread defect, citing Hero Motors having "serviced 1.5 crore vehicles using E20. Not a single complaint."
No Case For Fuel "Choice" At Pumps
Puri rejected demands for separate fuel grades at retail outlets, arguing infrastructure cannot support it: "You can't mix E20 and E15... so why do you want a choice?" He said existing options already cover consumer needs, listing "petrol, diesel... CNG and now increasingly... green hydrogen."
On the broader rationale, Puri said the programme had saved "1 lakh 90,000 crores by way of foreign exchange" and remained central to energy security, with crude import dependence at 85% amid fresh volatility from the Iran-Israel-US conflict.
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