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The authorities is rolling retired 50-100 ethanol substance stations successful Delhi-NCR, Pune, Mumbai and Nagpur, with an purpose to trim imports of fossil fuels, Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said connected Thursday (June 4, 2026).
He expressed anticipation to grow this web of ethanol substance stations to 500 by the extremity of 2026.
Speaking connected the sidelines of the motorboat of India's archetypal flex substance car by Maruti Suzuki, Mr. Puri said helium anticipates that by the extremity of 2027, India volition person 5,000 ethanol substance stations.
"I deliberation we are starting with astir 50 to 100 (ethanol) dispensing stations successful Delhi-NCR region, Pune, Mumbai, and Nagpur, etc. This 50-100 (ethanol) dispensing stations volition hopefully spell up to 500 towards the extremity of 2026," helium said.
The Minister said if the Euro VI modular conveyance tin beryllium made compliant with E100, it volition besides assistance successful reducing import of fossil fuels, which is astir $120 billion.
Responding to a question connected losses OMCs are making each time owed to buying crude, state and LPG astatine higher prices and shielding consumers by selling the 3 retail fuels astatine little prices, helium said,"They are inactive rather high...₹500-550 crore per time loss." The Minister said 60% of India's LPG and 90% of India's crude lipid was coming via the Strait of Hormuz.
"In the 93 oregon 94 days that person elapsed (after the onslaught of the U.S. and Israel connected Iran connected February 28), determination has not been a azygous adust retired anywhere. There has been nary shortage," Mr. Puri claimed.
He, nevertheless asserted that determination person been individuals who person tried to instrumentality vantage of that concern by spreading mendacious quality by creating oregon conspiring to make artificial shortages erstwhile nary existed.
Mr. Puri said India comes adjacent to Japan arsenic a state with the lowest summation successful substance prices.
The Minister pointed retired that if fractional the caller (two-wheeler and four-wheeler) vehicles are flex fuel-compliant, past India tin unlock 311.8 crore litres of further ethanol request and ₹12,403 crore further income for farmers.
He noted that the state has already raised ethanol blending successful petrol from 1.5% successful 2014 to 20% today, resulting successful overseas speech savings of ₹1.84 lakh crore done the substitution of 302 lakh metric tonne of crude oil.
Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has projected amendments to conveyance emanation rules to widen the scope for higher ethanol blends and alternate fuels, paving the mode for flex-fuel and axenic biofuel vehicles crossed conveyance categories.
The draught changes to the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989 purpose to supply for wider usage of fuels, specified arsenic E85 (a blend of 85 per cent ethanol with petrol) and E100(which would let vehicles to tally connected astir axenic ethanol), arsenic good arsenic B100 biodiesel and hydrogen-CNG combinations.
India has already achieved 20% blending of ethanol (produced from biomass similar sugarcane, maize oregon rice) with petrol to make a cleaner-burning fuel, reducing reliance connected imported crude lipid and cutting c emissions.
