India has allowed the blending of ethanol and other synthetic or man-made hydrocarbons with aviation turbine fuel (ATF) in a bid to cut oil imports, a government notification issued by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas stated.
The decision follows amendments to the Aviation Turbine Fuel (Regulation of Marketing) Order, 2001, issued under the Essential Commodities Act, 1955.
The changes expand the definition of ATF to include blends with synthetic hydrocarbons.
The notification has not prescribed any immediate mandatory blending targets.
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Why ethanol blending?
The move is aimed at reducing emissions and lowering dependence on imported oil, though no mandatory blending targets have been set so far.
The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG), through a gazette notification, has amended rules governing the marketing of ATF, expanding its definition and aligning enforcement provisions with updated criminal procedures.
Under the revised norms, ATF is defined as a mixture of hydrocarbons meeting IS 1571 specifications, or blends with synthetic hydrocarbons under IS 17081 standards, allowing for the inclusion of newer fuel variants.
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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 cut emissions.
SAF is produced from renewable feedstocks including waste oils and fats, sugar and cereals, municipal solid waste, wood and agricultural residues, or even captured CO₂.
SAF is also referred to as synthetic or man-made 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 mandate.
No blending targets have been specified for fuel used in domestic flights so far.
