Now Reading: Ethanol-diesel blending scrapped after safety test failure
-
01
Ethanol-diesel blending scrapped after safety test failure
The Centre has ruled out ethanol blending with diesel after oil marketing companies found that ethanol sharply lowers diesel's flash point, increasing fire risks. Minister of State for Petroleum Suresh Gopi told…
The Story in Brief
The Centre has ruled out ethanol blending with diesel after oil marketing companies found that ethanol sharply lowers diesel's flash point, increasing fire risks. Minister of State for Petroleum Suresh Gopi told Parliament on Monday that scientific evaluations by public-sector OMCs, in collaboration with accredited labs and automakers, showed ethanol-blended diesel failed to meet required flash-point specifications. The finding effectively ends wider use of the fuel for now.
Gopi also said isobutanol is not being blended with diesel, and no decision has been taken to raise ethanol blending in petrol beyond the existing 20% target. Separately, the government is examining ethanol as a potential cooking fuel to reduce LPG import dependence and utilise surplus production capacity.
The Indian Opinion
The government's ethanol push was hailed as a win for farmers and energy security. But the diesel blending plan, announced without public safety data, now looks like a case of policy running ahead of science. Critics of the E20 rollout will feel vindicated. A more measured approach would have tested thoroughly before declaring targets. The real test now is whether the government will apply the same rigour to its ethanol-as-cooking-fuel proposal before rolling it out nationally.
Sources (3): ndtvprofit.com, economictimes.indiatimes.com, thefederal.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the 3 sources linked above.
