OMCs blend record 1.5 billion litres ethanol with petrol in 2017-18

OMCs had entered into contracts with sugar mills to procure 1.6 billion litres of ethanol during the last ethanol year.

India, which relies on imported fuel for bulk of its consumption demand, managed to achieve a record ethanol blending of 5 per cent with petrol in the 12 months ended November 2018. This happened in a year marked by a sharp rise in crude oil prices and a weakening rupee that makes import expensive.

A record 1.5 billion litres of ethanol worth over Rs 61 billion was lifted by oil marketing companies (OMCs) - IndianOil, Bharat Petroleum, and Hindustan Petroleum - in the 2017-18 ethanol supply year ended on November 30, according to information compiled by the Indian Sugar Mills