Guwahati: The Centre has dismissed reports claiming that Bhutan turned down an Indian proposal to import E20 petrol, clarifying that no such offer was ever made and that there is currently no plan to export the ethanol-blended fuel to the neighbouring country.
In a fact-check issued by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG), the government said reports suggesting Bhutan had rejected an offer to import E20 petrol were “incorrect”. It stated that India’s Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) had not made any proposal to Bhutan for supplying the fuel.
The clarification came after media reports, citing a Bhutanese publication, claimed that Bhutan had requested India to continue supplying conventional petrol instead of E20 fuel. The report suggested that Bhutan had concerns over the suitability of E20 because of storage infrastructure limitations and the potential impact of ethanol-blended fuel on older vehicles operating in mountainous terrain.
Rejecting those reports, the ministry said there was no proposal under consideration to export E20 petrol to Bhutan. It urged the public to rely only on official information released by the ministry and the country’s Oil Marketing Companies.
The controversy comes amid India’s nationwide rollout of E20 petrol as part of its ethanol-blending programme aimed at reducing crude oil imports, lowering carbon emissions and promoting cleaner fuels. The government has maintained that the fuel was introduced only after extensive laboratory, vehicle and field testing by leading technical institutions.
The government has also reiterated that approved E20 fuel is compatible with vehicles designed to meet prescribed ethanol-blending standards and said there have been no widespread cases linking the fuel to engine failures or vehicle breakdowns since its introduction.