Oil industry pitches ethanol as clean cooking fuel to cut LPG import dependence
As part of broader efforts to reduce India’s dependence on imported LPG and expand the biofuel ecosystem, the petroleum sector has urged industry stakeholders to explore ethanol as a clean cooking fuel for homes.RS Ravi, director (downstream), Federation of Indian Petroleum Industry (FIPI), raised the proposal while addressing the All India Distillers Association conference, pointing to the ongoing research on ethanol-based cooking stoves, PTI reported.
He said “a lot of work is happening” at institutions like the LPG Equipment Research Center and several IITs to design efficient, ethanol-compatible stoves, prototypes of which are expected to be ready soon.Ravi called on the distillery industry to support this initiative by partnering with manufacturers to scale up stove production and helping develop an effective supply chain that can deliver ethanol directly to homes.“It’s a different game. Till now, the way you have been supporting the oil industry by supplying wholesale… that needs to change,” he said.“How this supply chain will be developed, what form it needs to be delivered in, the form factor is very important.”He further said, “Can AIDA come forward and give us ideas on how we can make this ethanol possible as a cooking fuel in India?”The suggestion comes at a time when India has already started blending 20 percent ethanol in petrol. Ravi credited the distillery sector for enabling the program and cited a recent government notification mandating the sale of E20 petrol with a minimum research octane number of 95 from April 1, 2026.The move to higher-octane E20 fuel is expected to improve vehicle performance and efficiency while eliminating concerns associated with lower-octane blends.Ravi also urged the ethanol industry to accelerate production of isobutanol for diesel blending and prepare for ethanol-to-sustainable aviation fuel pathways, although he stressed that priority attention should be given to cooking fuel initiatives.Research bodies are already investigating ethanol stoves as a clean alternative that can complement or partially replace LPG, especially in rural and semi-urban areas.He said shifting ethanol from bulk industrial supply to domestic distribution would require new logistics models, suitable packaging formats and reliable last-mile delivery systems.India is aggressively promoting ethanol blending to cut crude oil imports, conserve foreign exchange, reduce emissions and support farmers. Increasing the use of ethanol in cooking fuel can further diversify demand and strengthen energy security.Ravi stressed the need for coordinated efforts between the oil industry and distillers to make ethanol-based cooking a viable option in the country.