Govt denies reports of Bhutan rejecting India's E20 fuel

New Delhi: The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas on Sunday said that India's Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) never made any offer to export E20 petrol to Bhutan, and said that there is "no such proposal" on exporting E20 petrol to the neighbouring country.

The ministry said that the reports of Bhutan rejecting imports of India's E20 petrol are incorrect.

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In a post on Facebook, the Ministry said, "Fact Check: Claims that Bhutan declined an offer to import E20 petrol from India are incorrect. No such offer has been made by the Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs), and there is no proposal for export of E20 petrol to Bhutan. Please rely only on official information from MoPNG and the Oil Marketing Companies."

Earlier on Saturday, Congress alleged that Bhutan, Nepal, Bangaldesh and Sri Lanka have refused India's fuel.

These reports come as there have been concerns raised about the performance and reliability of the newly introduced E20 blend fuel.

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting clarified, "E20 fuel was introduced only after extensive laboratory, vehicle, and field testing by India's leading technical institutions. Science led the way, ensuring reliability, performance, and confidence on every journey."

The Government has clarified that the automobile industry has been aligning vehicles with prescribed ethanol-blending standards. Use of approved E20 fuel does not automatically void the manufacturer's warranty merely because ethanol-blended petrol is used, as per the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

Also Read: E20 scientifically tested, safe for older vehicles: Industry experts

Ethanol blending is a scientifically designed, internationally accepted fuel formulation implemented ( In countries such as Brazil ) under India's Ethanol Blended Petrol Programme. It is governed by established fuel quality standards and is not fuel adulteration.

Extensive testing previously by ARAI, Indian Oil R&D and IIP has found no significant engine durability or performance issues with E20 in older vehicles. Millions of vehicles are already operating on E20 since 1st April 2025 (Pan rollout of E20) without any evidence of engine failure attributable to the fuel, the Ministry further said.