India Hits 12% Ethanol-Petrol Blend Target

28 Oct 2023 CW Team

India successfully met its target of blending 12% ethanol with petrol for the ethanol supply year, which concludes in October 2023, according to Oil Minister HS Puri. The government had set a target of 12% ethanol blending with petrol for the year 2022?23 (December 2022?October 2023). The goal for the following year, 2023?24 (November 2023?October 2024), is 15%.

Puri announced this achievement while launching reference fuels produced by Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), a state-run refining and marketing giant. The government has expedited efforts to reach a target of 20% biofuel blending by 2025, moving it up from the original goal of 2030. E20 blended fuel is already being sold at over 5,000 petrol retail outlets, contributing significantly to emissions reduction.

Puri also highlighted the interest in producing ethanol from maize, alongside sugar-based producers, and expressed confidence that India will easily achieve the 20% blending target by the end of 2025.

The percentage of ethanol blended with petrol by oil marketing companies (OMCs) temporarily decreased to 11.72% in August due to feedstock availability issues, particularly the discontinuation of Food Corporation of India (FCI) rice in July 2023. This led to supply constraints and operational disruptions in grain-based distilleries.

For the year 2022?23, OMCs tendered for 5.997 billion litres of ethanol, with letters of intent (LoIs) issued for 5.6445 billion litres as of August 2023.

Additionally, Indian Oil's indigenous development of reference fuels, meeting Automotive Industry Standard (AIS) specifications, is poised to reduce reliance on imports and benefit the domestic automobile industry for vehicle calibration and testing. This development is expected to make India a significant exporter of reference fuels in the future.

Infrastructure Urban

06 Jul 2026

ABS Marine Sees CRISIL Credit Rating Upgrade

ABS Marine Services has secured an upgrade to its long term and short term credit ratings from CRISIL, reflecting improved profitability and revenue growth through long term contracts. CRISIL moved the long term rating from BBB+/Stable to A-/Stable and revised the short term rating from A2 to A2+. The action signals strengthened financial metrics and operational resilience. The company benefited from durable client relationships with firms such as ONGC and Schlumberger. The rating decision followed stronger cash flows and an enlarged bank loan facility, which increased from Rs 3,705 million (m..

Project BRAHMANK Marks 16 Years Of Strategic Roads In Arunachal

Project BRAHMANK is marking 16 years of work to establish strategic road and bridge links across Arunachal Pradesh, maintaining and developing 811 kilometres of roads and nearly 86 bridges that range from small culverts to large steel and arch bridges. These transport links are described as critical for ensuring year-round movement of defence personnel, equipment and essential supplies while improving everyday travel for people in remote villages. The project balances national security requirements with regional development by focusing on reliable access in challenging terrain. Notable enginee..

Longleng CSOs Give One Week Ultimatum Over Two-Lane Highway

Civil society organisations (CSOs) in Longleng district have demanded immediate restoration of the deteriorating Changtongya–Longleng two-lane road and sought a detailed status report on the stalled construction within one week. The demand followed a consultative meeting convened under the Phom Peoples' Council (PPC) to discuss welfare and development concerns. PPC president YB Angam Phom said prolonged non-maintenance had caused hardship to commuters and affected transportation, local commerce and the district's development. The meeting urged authorities to undertake immediate restoration a..