NEW DELHI: An opinion piece by chief economic adviser (CEA) V Anantha Nageswaran on ethanol blending has rekindled the debate whether govt should look at making E10 (10% ethanol blended petrol) available for older vehicles manufactured before April 2023.Officials, dealing with the issue and countering the narrative against E20 fuel for the past few weeks, admitted that the CEA’s views came as a surprise for them as it bats for making E10 available as an option at fuel stations. This is likely to push the demand for making lower-blend of fuel available in addition to E20, they said, adding it won’t be easy logistically and considering that an ecosystem has been in place for 20% of blending that’s linked to the rural economy.
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TOI has learnt that as of now, there is no discussion within govt to provide the option of E10 at fuel stations. While there has been a campaign demanding petrol with lower ethanol content, a govt official said there was no discussion so far on reverting to fuel with 10% blending. The official said creating additional infrastructure to dispense E10 petrol is not only logistically difficult, but may also lead to practical issues such as pricing and distribution. “Also, allowing the sale of E10 would mean govt is accepting E20 petrol is not good for older vehicles which is not the case. Studies have shown E20 does not cause any mechanical issues,” said another official.
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