Bhutan’s ‘no thanks’ on India’s E20 petrol proposal, not the engine but it was refused for serious reasons

These days, various types of discussions and claims are going viral on social media regarding E20 petrol in India. It is being said in many posts that this fuel is causing huge damage to the engines of vehicles. Amidst these controversies, a big news has come out regarding E20 petrol from India’s neighboring country Bhutan. According to media reports, Bhutan has rejected the proposal of Indian Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) to supply E20 petrol, that is, the Bhutan government is not in favor of purchasing this ethanol-blended petrol from India. However, Jagran Business does not officially confirm this news.

According to a report by Bhutan’s local media website ‘Tabtanese’, the reason behind Bhutan’s refusal of India’s proposal is not just the compatibility of the engines of the vehicles, but there are more serious practical concerns.

What was revealed in the Bhutanese media report?

When ‘Tabtanese’ wanted to know from Bhutan’s trade department whether ethanol is being tested in their lab in Chunjom, the department clarified that Bhutan is not importing E20 petrol at present. According to Bhutanese officials, they have no objection to clean fuel, but they face a big practical challenge of storing this fuel safely.

The report quoted the department as explaining the technical reason that hydroxyl (-OH) group is present in ethanol-blended petrol as compared to normal petrol (MS). Due to this, this fuel becomes ‘hygroscopic’ i.e. moisture absorbent, which easily absorbs the water present in the air and mixes it with itself.

Infrastructure and geography become major obstacles

According to local media reports, the Himalayan country has clarified that their existing fuel storage infrastructure is not fully prepared to safely handle and store this ethanol-blended fuel. This decision of Bhutan clearly shows that the geographical location of any country and its infrastructure can influence its energy policy as much as its environmental goals.