Nitin Gadkari Calls for 100% Ethanol Blending in India Amid West Asia Oil Crisis

Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday called on the country to work towards 100 per cent ethanol blending in the near term, arguing that disruptions to global oil supplies caused by the West Asia conflict have made energy self-sufficiency a national priority, news agency PTI reported.

Speaking at the Indian Federation of Green Energy's Green Transport Conclave, Gadkari said the country's heavy reliance on imported fossil fuels left it dangerously exposed. 

"In the near future, India should aspire to achieve 100 per cent ethanol blending... Today, we are facing an energy crisis due to the war in West Asia, so it is necessary for us to become self-reliant in the energy sector," he was quoted as saying by PTI.

India currently meets 87 per cent of its oil requirements through imports. "We import fossil fuels worth ₹22 lakh crore, which is also causing pollution... so we need to work on increasing production of alternative fuel and bio-fuel," Gadkari said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched E20 petrol, blended with 20 per cent ethanol, in 2023, and Indian vehicles can run on the fuel with minor engine modifications to guard against corrosion. Brazil, by comparison, already operates on 100 per cent ethanol blending, a benchmark Gadkari cited as an aspirational target.

The transport minister added that the Corporate Average Fuel Efficiency III standards, due to take effect from 1 April next year, would have limited bearing on electric and flex-fuel vehicles.

Gadkari also turned his attention to hydrogen, describing it as the fuel of the future while acknowledging that significant cost and logistical hurdles remain.

On the broader question of petrol and diesel vehicles, the minister struck a measured tone, noting that whilst their use needed to be discouraged, compulsion was not the answer. 

"But we can not force people to stop buying petrol and diesel vehicles," he said.

Gadkari also addressed growing public concern on social media over E20, suggesting the backlash was being driven by lobbying from within the petroleum industry. He urged vehicle manufacturers to prioritise quality over cost-cutting, arguing that doing so would open up new export markets.