No move to replace E20 petrol with E10: BPCL chief

New Delhi, Aug 27 (IANS) Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd Chairman and Managing Director Sanjay Khanna said on Thursday that there is no proposal to replace E20 petrol with E10, clarifying that the current debate is over whether older vehicles should have access to a lower-ethanol blend with 10 per cent ethanol.

In a media call after the company’s annual shareholder meeting, the BPCL Chairman, however, said he saw no operational or logistical challenge in switching from E20 petrol to E10 if the government decides to change the ethanol-blending policy.

“I never said that E20 will be changed to E10. What is being debated in some circles is whether older vehicles should have an option of lower-ethanol blend fuel,” he added.

E10 petrol contains 10 per cent ethanol and 90 per cent petrol, while E20 contains 20 per cent ethanol and 80 per cent petrol.

While there is no proposal to roll back E20, he said discussions are underway on whether E10 could be offered specifically for older vehicles.

“One of the options being explored is whether we have E10 fuel for the older vehicle, which is what is being pursued right now. There are challenges related to supply, whether we can handle another grade of petrol simultaneously. Yes, those challenges are there, and they are being debated,” Khanna said.

The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas issued a factsheet recently to refute claims in the media and social media that vehicles manufactured before 2023 cannot run on E20 petrol, and that auto manufacturers have privately indicated that the blended fuel is not desirable.

The factsheet states that E15-plus fuel has been in widespread use for over three and a half years, while E19-E20 fuel has been in use for over two and a half years. During this period, no verified news of widespread engine failure or vehicle breakdown attributable to ethanol blending has emerged. Had ethanol blending been causing systemic damage to engines or fuel systems, such failures would have resulted in large-scale warranty claims, service campaigns and widespread consumer complaints, none of which have been reported.

–IANS

sps/vd