In a bid to push reforms aimed at promoting clean energy, India aims to blend 10 per cent ethanol with petrol this year and double it to 20 per cent by 2025, for which the government expects investments to the tune of $5.5 billion, or roughly ₹41,000 crore in the next three years, said the Economic Survey 2021-22 on Monday. Ethanol blending can help India save on foreign exchange to the tune of $4 billion (around ₹30,000 crore) on an annual basis in its import bill. “The government is expecting an investment of up to $5,541 million to help India achieve its ethanol blending target of 10 per cent by 2022 and 20 per cent by 2025,” said the survey report, which was tabled in Parliament on Monday. On June 5, 2021, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced 20 per cent ethanol blending in petrol by 2025. The ambitious target, which brings forward the blending target from 2030 to 2025, is a key element of the economy-wide energy transformation. As of September 2021, the country has already reached 8.5 per cent ethanol blending, and is on track to achieve the 20 per cent target by 2025, it added.
