The Centre on Monday said it has not received any widespread or substantiated complaints linking E20 ethanol-blended petrol to engine failures or other vehicle performance issues, asserting that extensive scientific studies and real-world data have found the fuel safe for use under prescribed standards.
Replying to an unstarred question by CPI(M) Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas, Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Suresh Gopi said the Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) Programme has been implemented through a phased, scientifically validated and consultative process involving NITI Aayog, the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI), the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), Indian Oil Corporation (IOCL), the Indian Institute of Petroleum (IIP), oil marketing companies (OMCs) and automobile manufacturers.
The minister said India achieved 20 per cent ethanol blending five years ahead of the original target after more than two decades of phased policy development, stakeholder consultations, scientific evaluation and capacity creation.
According to the reply, the government has not received any widespread or substantiated complaints from vehicle manufacturers, automobile associations or consumer organisations regarding engine failure, fuel pump issues, corrosion, reduced fuel efficiency, water contamination or other performance problems attributable to E20 fuel.
The Centre acknowledged that concerns raised in the media and on social media were examined scientifically. It said laboratory studies, field trials and real-world operating experience confirmed that E20 fuel is safe under prescribed standards and that legacy vehicles do not show any significant variation in performance or abnormal wear and tear because of its use.
The reply added that more than 20 crore two-wheelers and over three crore petrol cars have been operating on E15+ petrol for more than three-and-a-half years and E19-E20 fuel for over two-and-a-half years without any verified evidence of widespread engine failure or abnormal wear linked to ethanol blending.
"As such, year-wise and state-wise details of such complaints are nil," the government said.
On concerns regarding water contamination in ethanol-blended petrol, the Centre said oil marketing companies have not issued any advisory cautioning motorists specifically on this issue, as fuel supplied by OMCs conforms to Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) specifications.
The government said OMCs follow stringent standard operating procedures covering procurement, blending, storage, transportation and retail dispensing. Fuel quality is tested at the distillery, depot and retail outlet levels.
It also said that, based on complaints received, OMCs conducted more than 30,000 quality checks at retail outlets over the last 10 to 20 days to detect adulteration and ensure only specification-compliant fuel reaches consumers. State governments have also been urged to adopt zero tolerance against fuel adulteration.
Explaining the basis for its June 23 PIB statement that no widespread engine failures had been reported due to ethanol blending, the government said the conclusion was based on cumulative technical validation, phased implementation over two decades, extensive real-world operating experience, manufacturer field data, scientific testing and continuous monitoring.
The Centre also noted that ethanol is not a new fuel and has been used globally for over a century. Countries such as Brazil have been operating higher ethanol blends for decades, while India's ethanol blending programme began with a pilot in 2001 before the introduction of E5 fuel in 2006. Since then, ethanol blending has been increased progressively after creating the required production capacity, infrastructure and regulatory framework.