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BPCL says no move yet to replace E20 petrol with E10

hellohimachalse@gmail.com 28 Aug 2026 28 Aug 2026

New Delhi: Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd (BPCL), India’s second-largest fuel retailer, on Thursday said there is no decision to replace E20 petrol with E10, clarifying that the current debate is over whether older vehicles should have access to a lower-ethanol blend alongside E20.

Speaking to the media after the company’s annual shareholder meeting, BPCL Chairman and Managing Director Sanjay Khanna said there would be no operational or logistical challenge in switching from E20 to E10 if the government changes the ethanol-blending policy.

“I never said that E20 will be changed to E10,” Khanna said, adding that the issue being debated was whether older vehicles should have an option of lower-ethanol fuel. “That doesn’t mean E20 will be out and E10 will be in.”

He stressed that “nothing has been finalised” on changing the current fuel-blending regime. However, if a switch is decided upon, “none of the oil companies will have a challenge to go from E20 to E10”.

The bigger challenge, he said, would arise if E10 is introduced as an additional grade alongside E20, given India’s vast fuel-distribution network. The debate follows an opinion piece by Chief Economic Adviser V Anantha Nageswaran and Department of Economic Affairs consultant Akash Poojari, who recommended restoring a lower-blend petrol option to protect older vehicles.

They noted that India has around 75-80 million older two-wheelers built before BS-IV, many with carburettors that cannot adjust for the additional oxygen in E20, potentially causing engines to run hot. Older rubber seals not rated for ethanol could also degrade.

The government has progressively raised ethanol blending to reduce crude oil imports, cut emissions and support domestic ethanol production. E20 became the sole petrol variant at fuel stations from April 1.

The Petroleum Ministry has argued that stocking pure petrol, E10 and E20 nationwide would create substantial logistical difficulties. India has over one lakh petrol pumps and a vast network of refineries, terminals, depots and pipelines. Khanna said the challenges of supplying “another grade” of petrol are still being debated.

No decision

♦ E20 will not be replaced by E10 at present.

♦ E10 option: Govt is considering it for older vehicles alongside E20

♦ BPCL: Sees no major hurdle in switching from E20 to E10

♦ Older vehicles: Around 75-80 million pre-BS-IV two-wheelers are affected

♦ Main challenge: Supplying an additional fuel grade nationwide

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