India should aim for 100% ethanol in vehicle fuel: Nitin Gadkari

New Delhi: Union minister Nitin Gadkari has advocated increased ethanol blending in vehicle fuels to reduce oil imports and enhance energy self-reliance, highlighting supply vulnerabilities due to the conflict in West Asia.

India last year rolled out E20 petrol across the country. The fuel contains 20% ethanol.

"In the near future, India should aspire to achieve 100% [sic] ethanol blending. Today we are facing an energy crisis due to the war in West Asia so it is necessary for us to become self-reliant in the energy sector," road transport and highways minister Gadkari said at the Indian Federation of Green Energy's Green Transport Conclave.


According to Gadkari, India imports 87% of its oil requirements worth Rs 22 lakh crore, which is also adding to air pollution. "We need to work on increasing production of alternative fuel and biofuels," he said.

Gadkari reinstated the importance of green hydrogen to meet India's future energy demand but said there are challenges in cost and transportation of green hydrogen.

"Transport of hydrogen fuel is a problem. Also, we need to produce 1 kg of hydrogen at $1 to make India an exporter of energy," the minister said, adding that hydrogen production from waste should be explored.