Supreme Court Questions Ethanol Supply After Rules Allow E100‑Capable Vehicles
The court demanded a government plan for how nearly pure ethanol would be produced and delivered at scale before any change to the existing 20% petrol blending policy.
Overview
- The Road Transport Ministry on October 26 amended vehicle rules to certify flex‑fuel models that can run on up to E100, or nearly pure ethanol, creating a regulatory path for such cars.
- Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri told reporters on October 27 that the Centre has no immediate plan to raise ethanol blending in petrol above the current 20% target.
- During an October 29 hearing on ethanol allocation for ESY 2025‑26 the Supreme Court asked how supplies would be made if 100% ethanol vehicles were permitted and the Attorney General said that would require large‑scale manufacturing rearrangements.
- The court is also reviewing a contractual allocation dispute that began with a Karnataka High Court direction and a June 30 Supreme Court status‑quo order over preferential ethanol allotments to dedicated plants.
- Judges pressed the government to weigh farmers' livelihoods, environmental impacts, fuel distribution changes such as storage and blending infrastructure, and planned further hearings next month to seek detailed supply and policy answers.