Eminent scientist and Padma Vibhushan awardee Dr Raghunath Anant Mashelkar on Tuesday backed India's ethanol-blended fuel programme, asserting that ethanol has already demonstrated its viability as a transport fuel globally and can play a pivotal role in securing the country's energy future. The remarks by the former Director General of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) come as India accelerates its push to reduce dependence on imported crude oil.

Brazil's Decades of Evidence

Dr Mashelkar, a chemical engineer and Fellow of the Royal Society, pointed to Brazil's longstanding experience with ethanol-powered vehicles as compelling proof of the fuel's real-world viability. 'Brazil has been running vehicles on ethanol for 30-40 years. That experience tells us that ethanol is a viable fuel,' he said.

He argued that scaling up ethanol use alongside other domestically produced fuels would directly reduce India's exposure to volatile global crude markets, improving the country's energy self-reliance.

Geopolitical Tensions Sharpen the Case

Referring to recent geopolitical tensions in West Asia, Dr Mashelkar warned that disruptions to global energy supply chains underscore the urgency of accelerating domestic alternative fuel adoption. 'We need self-reliance. We should produce our own fuels,' he said, adding that dependence on imported energy leaves nations vulnerable to geopolitical conflicts and supply shocks.

This comes amid sustained volatility in global oil markets, which has repeatedly exposed the fiscal cost of India's heavy crude import bill — estimated at over ₹12 lakh crore annually in recent years.

A Broader Clean Fuel Basket

Dr Mashelkar was careful to frame ethanol not as a standalone solution but as part of a wider clean energy transition. He called for simultaneous development of methanol, dimethyl ether, compressed biogas, and biomass-based green hydrogen. 'I am not just talking about ethanol. We have to look at all these alternative fuels,' he said.

He placed particular emphasis on biomass as a foundational feedstock. 'The sun is shining, and biomass is produced from solar energy. Biomass should be our main feedstock from which we can produce fuels,' he said.

Degraded Land as an Untapped Resource

Dr Mashelkar also highlighted an often-overlooked opportunity: using degraded and semi-degraded land to cultivate energy crops such as Napier grass for producing compressed biogas and green hydrogen. He stressed that this approach need not compete with food production, as such land is currently underutilised for agriculture.

With India's 20% ethanol-blending target for petrol now within sight and policy momentum building around biofuels, Dr Mashelkar's endorsement adds scientific weight to what has increasingly become a strategic national priority. The next phase will test whether domestic feedstock supply chains can scale fast enough to match ambition.