Public Sector Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) conducted scientific evaluations of blending ethanol with diesel and found the mixes failed required safety standards, the Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Suresh Gopi, reported in a written reply to Parliament. The evaluations were prompted by government efforts to expand ethanol use after making E20 the standard petrol and by rising domestic ethanol production. The outcome has immediate implications for plans to introduce biofuel blends in diesel distribution.

Tests were undertaken by the OMCs through their research and development (R&D) centres in collaboration with accredited laboratories and automobile manufacturers. The programme involved laboratory assessments and manufacturer trials designed to replicate operational conditions and to confirm compliance with fuel specifications. The cooperative approach was intended to ensure that results reflected both scientific rigour and practical vehicle performance.

The assessments showed that ethanol-blended diesel did not meet the required diesel flash-point specification because the flash point fell sharply in the presence of ethanol, creating a safety concern related to increased flammability. The minister indicated that the lowered flash point meant the blends could not be recommended for wider use until the technical issue is resolved. Officials will need to address the chemical and handling challenges before any policy shift towards ethanolised diesel can proceed.

The government continues to focus its ethanol blending programme on petrol and has not begun blending isobutanol in diesel at present, the minister noted. No decision has been taken to raise ethanol content in petrol beyond 20 per cent and any increase would be considered only after detailed scientific and technical studies and consultations with automobile manufacturers, OMCs and research institutions. Further steps will depend on solutions that maintain safety standards and operational reliability across the fuel supply chain.