India's Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Hardeep Singh Puri, during a recent media interaction, said that a public rollout of E25 petrol is still some time away. The minister stated that E25 (25 percent ethanol blended petrol) is still undergoing tests at the moment and “any suggestions that we are bringing E25 now is misinterpretation.”
Government on E25 and other ethanol blends
Speaking about E25 petrol, Puri said that the fuel is not ready for the market yet as Centre is still “conducting tests, which will take time.” The Union Minister went on to say that any progress on the matter will be based on the results from these tests, which will be followed by an evaluation phase. Once that is done, “we will then talk to the stakeholders and automobile manufacturers,” said Puri. However, the minister did not specify any timeline for this process.
Puri also spoke about the recently introduced E85 petrol. The minister stated that it will take a bit of time for E85 to be made publically available in more parts of the country, as new petrol pumps will have to be commissioned first. Touching upon the ongoing discussions surrounding E20 petrol, Puri said, “There is no controversy. There are 20 crore two-wheelers and 20 lakh four-wheelers on the road that are using E20. There are the automobile manufacturers and vehicle service centres, all have said that there are no difficulties.”
