This is one reform initiative that is set to be a big positive change in the use of fossil fuel to run countrys transportation sector.
The central government has proposed to advance the deadline for blending 20 per cent ethanol in petrol from the earlier announced 2030 to 2024.
The use of 20 per cent doped petrol or E20 decreases the carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons emissions significantly, compared to normal gasoline in two-wheelers and four-wheelers. The increased blending will also reduce use of polluting fossil fuel in the country.
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has already notified the use of E20 and issued mass emission standards for the same.
Now it is up to the oil companies and automobile companies to build capacities for both production and use of E20. The next two years would also give sugar mills time to convert excess sugarcane or sugar for producing higher quantity of ethanol required for blending with petrol.The government had earlier fixed a target of 10 per cent ethanol blending by 2022 and 20 per cent by 2030. But the plan now is to directly migrate to 20 per cent as the level of blending is successively being used in a few countries such as Brazil.This is akin to taking the emission standards vehicles directly from BS-IV stage to BS-VI skipping one stage to ensure that vehicles turn less polluting sources.