The phased rollout of E20 (20 per cent ethanol blending in gasoline) will begin on April 1, Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri has said.

The fuel will be available at select outlets and will not require changes to car engines, officials said.

The proposed rollout will give further impetus to the government´s plans of achieving the level of 20 per cent ethanol blending in the overall petrol supply in the country by ethanol supply year (ESY) 20252026.

The deadline for achieving this had been brought forward from 2030 as the supply of raw ethanol has grown at a fast clip.

Puri said India was on track to contribute 25 per cent of global ethanol demand by 2040.

India has raised the blending in petrol from 1.53 per cent in 201314 to 10.17 per cent in 2022.

To achieve 20 per cent by 2025, the country needs 10.211 billion litres of ethanol.

Fuel will be available at select outlets and will not require changes to car engines