India’s oil marketing companies (OMCs) have extended the deadline for bids under their Cycle 1 tender for Ethanol Supply Year (ESY) 2026–27 to November 5, 2026, from the original October 29 deadline, according to a corrigendum accessed by ChiniMandi.
The tender seeks approximately 1,100 crore litres of ethanol for supply between November 1, 2026, and October 31, 2027. The extension gives prospective suppliers additional time to submit bids for the annual procurement cycle.
Under the revised schedule, bids can be submitted until 5 pm on November 5, compared with the earlier deadline of 11 am on October 29. Tender documents will remain available until the revised deadline, while bid opening and evaluation have been rescheduled to 5:01 pm on November 5.
The tender’s opening date for document sales and bid submission remains unchanged at 6:30 pm on October 16, 2026.
Sugar-based ethanol excluded from the tender
The OMCs have not invited offers for ethanol produced from sugarcane juice, sugar, sugar syrup or B-heavy molasses for ESY 2026–27, in line with government directions to reduce sugar diversion for ethanol production to zero during the supply year.
Instead, the tender invites bids for ethanol produced from eligible alternative feedstocks, including:
- C-heavy molasses
- Damaged food grains
- Surplus rice supplied by the Food Corporation of India (FCI)
- Maize
- Other feedstocks permitted under the National Policy on Biofuels (NPB)
The feedstock restrictions are intended to align ethanol procurement with the government’s direction on sugar diversion while continuing to source ethanol from other permitted materials.
Feedstock availability remains important for ethanol procurement
The tender’s scale and feedstock requirements place alternative raw materials at the centre of ethanol supply planning for ESY 2026–27. Suppliers using maize, damaged food grains, surplus rice and C-heavy molasses will be among those eligible to participate, subject to the tender’s terms and conditions.
The procurement cycle will be significant for ethanol producers planning output and feedstock purchases for the November 2026–October 2027 supply period. Actual allocations will depend on bids received and the OMCs’ procurement decisions.
Bioenergy Business Analysis
The extension of the 1,100 crore litre tender deadline gives ethanol suppliers additional time to prepare their bids, while the exclusion of sugarcane juice, sugar, sugar syrup and B-heavy molasses defines the feedstock framework for this procurement cycle.
With sugar diversion restricted for ESY 2026–27, maize, surplus FCI rice, damaged food grains and C-heavy molasses will remain important eligible feedstocks under the tender. The procurement outcome will provide a clearer indication of how suppliers respond to the revised eligibility conditions and how the OMCs distribute ethanol demand across permitted feedstock categories.
