Bengaluru: In a fresh twist to the ongoing E20 petrol controversy, the Karnataka government claimed on Friday that fuel being sold by oil marketing companies contains substantially more than the mandated 20% ethanol blend, with the highest reading found to be touching 31.2%.
According to findings shared by the state government, a sample collected from an Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) outlet recorded 31.2% ethanol, while samples from HPCL showed 30.5% and 27%. Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) samples recorded 26.5%, 24.2% and 22.6%, while Nayara Energy had 26.1% and Shell 25.5% of ethanol.
The government said 63 petrol samples were collected from outlets operated by major oil marketing companies across Karnataka.
The samples were initially sent to the respective oil companies’ in-house laboratories for testing. However, the government claimed that oil marketing companies did not clearly disclose ethanol content in the samples.
This raised suspicion, and the government then decided to send the samples to private NABL-accredited and ISO-certified laboratories.
The test results shared by the government listed 14 samples, with ethanol content ranging from 13.5% to 31.2%. Seven districts, including Bengaluru Urban, reportedly had samples recording ethanol content above the E20 limit.
The findings have raised concerns that motorists could be suffering financial losses because of excessive blending, with Karnataka’s Food and Civil Supplies Minister Rizwan Arshad questioning the Centre’s ethanol blending policy.
Arshad claimed that consumers could be facing an annual financial burden of nearly Rs 62,000 crore due to the impact of ethanol blending, particularly because of reduced fuel efficiency. He also flagged the potential cost of vehicle maintenance and repairs arising from the use of higher ethanol-blended petrol in vehicles not designed for it.
“Is this money not coming from the pockets of ordinary people? What was the need for this?” the minister questioned.
He demanded that the Central government establish a special fund to compensate consumers who face additional expenses because of alleged excessive ethanol blending.
Arshad argued that consumers should not be forced to bear the cost of vehicle repairs and reduced mileage because of a fuel-blending policy implemented by the government.
The companies have not yet reacted to the state government’s findings.