India has advanced the target for achieving 20% ethanol-blending in petrol by 5 years. (File)
Twenty per cent ethanol-blended petrol is likely to be available in the country from December or January, ahead of the April 2023 target, Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Friday.
"We are constantly reviewing the ethanol production and I believe, 20 per cent blended fuel would come in the market in December or January ahead of April 2023 (target)," he told reporters .
Citing the example of Brazil where flex-fuel vehicles are available and the consumer can take ethanol or petrol as per choice, he said that this will be the ultimate goal of the government.
However, to reach that stage, certain technical aspects are there and work is going on. "We are going to hold a major meeting with automobile manufacturers on ethanol blending," he said.
India has advanced the target date for achieving 20 per cent ethanol-blending in petrol by five years to 2025.
The minister also said that for the targeted 20 per cent blending of ethanol in petrol, the country will need a 1,000 core litre capacity.
He added that 450 crore litre is being produced and tenders for 400 crore litre have been issued.
"We have more than enough ethanol for 20 per cent blending," he noted.
All petrol sold in the country is targeted to have 20 per cent ethanol by 2025.
Earlier, at the inaugural ceremony of South Asian Geoscience Conference 'Geo India 2022', the minister said that the ethanol-blend percentage in petrol has increased from 0.67 per cent in 2013 to 10 per cent in May 2022, five months ahead of schedule.
While addressing the inaugural session, petroleum secretary Pankaj Jain said the geology experts should utilise this opportunity to elevate their contribution in the context of increasing demand and scarcity of energy sources.
He asked the geoscientific fraternity to develop tailored knowledge for deep water, ultra-deep water and onshore to enhance oil and gas production while doing it in an environmentally sustainable manner.
The three-day conference is being organised by the Association of Petroleum Geologists (APG).
Chief Patron of APG and CMD of Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC) Rajesh Kumar Srivastava said that the biennial conference has evolved in terms of size and international participation.
He said that the global market value of automation technology in the oil and gas sector is projected to nearly double and reach around USD 42 billion by 2030.
On the first day of the conference, plenary session was also held in which petroleum secretary Pankaj Jain, ExxonMobil MD Justin Murphy, Equinor MD Desikan Sundararajan and others took part.
The minister also inaugurated the Exhibition of Geo India 2022, where a number of Indian and global petroleum companies and service providers are showcasing their cutting edge services and tools for exploration and production of oil and gas.
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