Petrol Prices Could Have Hit ₹125/Litre Without Ethanol Blending, Claims Indian Govt
The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas defended India's Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) Programme against criticism over costs and food security. According to the ministry, retail petrol prices in Delhi could have surged to around ₹125 per litre during peak global crude oil spikes if India had not implemented ethanol blending.
Highlighting the substantial financial relief provided to citizens amidst international market volatility, the ministry stated that consumers paid ₹94.77 per litre because 20% of each litre consisted of domestically produced, stably priced ethanol insulated from global shocks.
The EBP Programme has yielded over ₹1.97 lakh crore in foreign exchange savings and substituted more than 316 lakh metric tonnes of crude imports, the ministry said.