India Denies Reports Bhutan Rejected E20 Petrol Offer

The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas denied media reports claiming that Bhutan rejected an Indian proposal to import E20 ethanol-blended petrol. Government officials stated that Indian Oil Marketing Companies made no such offer and that no proposal currently exists to export the fuel to Bhutan.

The denial follows reporting by the news outlet The Bhutanese, which suggested Bhutanese officials declined the fuel due to inadequate storage infrastructure in mountainous terrain and concerns that ethanol is hygroscopic, potentially leading to water seepage and engine degradation. Tenzing Lamsang, editor of The Bhutanese, defended the report by citing a document from Bhutan's Department of Trade requesting the continued supply of normal petrol.

Domestic pressure on the E20 program has increased as the Indian National Congress alleged that Nepal, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka also refused the fuel. Simultaneously, motorists and activists protested at Jantar Mantar in Delhi, demanding an independent review of the program. In response, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and ministers Hardeep Singh Puri and Nitin Gadkari defended the fuel's safety, citing extensive technical testing and attributing the opposition to vested interests and lobbies.