India has allowed blending of ethanol and other synthetic or synthetic hydrocarbons with aviation turbine fuel (ATF) in a bid to reduce oil imports, a government notification issued by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas said.
This decision follows amendments to the Aviation Turbine Fuels (Marketing Regulation) Order 2001, made under the Essential Commodities Act 1955.
The changes expand the definition of ATF to include mixtures with synthetic hydrocarbons.
The notification does not specify any immediate mandatory blending targets.
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Why blend ethanol?
The move aims to reduce emissions and reduce dependence on imported oil, although no mandatory blending targets have been set yet.
The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has, by notification in the Official Gazette, amended the rules governing the marketing of ATF, expanding its definition and aligning the implementation provisions with the updated criminal procedure.
Under the revised standards, ATF is defined as a mixture of hydrocarbons meeting IS 1571 specifications, or blended with synthetic hydrocarbons under IS 17081 standards, allowing newer fuels to be included.
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What is happening?
ATF is primarily derived from refining crude oil. Globally, countries such as the UK and Japan are increasingly mandating the blending of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to reduce emissions.
SAF is produced from renewable feedstocks including waste oils, fats, sugar, grains, municipal solid waste, wood and agricultural waste, or even captured carbon dioxide.
SAF is also referred to as synthetic or synthetic hydrocarbons in certain contexts.
India plans to blend 1 per cent SAF into jet fuel for international flights by 2027, increasing to 2 per cent by 2028 and 5 per cent by 2030, in line with the CORSIA plan.
No blending targets have been set for the fuel used in domestic flights yet.
