Bengaluru: Oil marketing companies on Friday refuted the claims of Karnataka government that 26% to 31% ethanol was found in petrol samples at certain Karnataka fuel outlets, exceeding the permissible 20% limit.
Taking to social media, HPCL clarified that all 893 samples tested across 27 States and UTs, including 56 from Karnataka, were found compliant with the prescribed 19% to 21% ethanol range.
The oil marketing companies, including IOCL, BPCL and HPCL, have sought transparent, joint testing with the state government to ensure an independent and scientifically verifiable assessment.
Earlier in the day, the Karnataka government had claimed that tests conducted on petrol samples collected from across the state found ethanol content exceeding the prescribed 20% limit in several cases, with the highest reading touching 31.2%, adding a fresh dimension to the ongoing controversy over E20 petrol. The oil marketing companies were yet to respond to the findings at the time of publication.
According to the results shared by the state government, a sample collected from an Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) outlet recorded the highest ethanol concentration at 31.2%. Samples from Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) registered ethanol levels of 30.5% and 27%.
Similarly, samples collected from Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) outlets showed ethanol content of 26.5%, 24.2% and 22.6%. Nayara Energy and Shell samples recorded levels of 26.1% and 25.5%, respectively.
The government said it had collected 63 petrol samples from outlets operated by major oil marketing companies, including IOCL, HPCL, BPCL, Shell and Nayara Energy, across Karnataka. Initially, these samples were sent to the respective companies’ in-house laboratories for examination.
However, the state government alleged that the companies did not explicitly disclose the ethanol content in their test reports, despite it being one of the prescribed parameters. This prompted suspicions and led the government to send the samples to private laboratories accredited by the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) and certified under ISO standards.
The test results subsequently shared by the government covered 14 samples, with ethanol concentration varying between 13.5% and 31.2%. Samples from seven districts, including Bengaluru, reportedly showed ethanol content above the E20 limit.
Rizwan Arshad Questions Centre’s Ethanol Blending Policy
Reacting to the findings, Karnataka Food and Civil Supplies Minister Rizwan Arshad—in an interview to ANI—questioned the Centre’s ethanol blending policy, raising concerns over its financial implications for ordinary consumers.
Arshad claimed that the impact of ethanol blending, particularly the reduction in fuel efficiency, could be imposing an annual financial burden of nearly ₹62,000 crore on consumers. He also pointed to the possible additional expenditure on vehicle maintenance and repairs, especially for vehicles that are not designed to run on higher ethanol-blended petrol.
He also questioned whether petrol pump infrastructure was adequately equipped to handle ethanol-blended fuel, particularly in terms of dispensing systems and storage facilities.
The minister further raised the possibility of ethanol and petrol separating into two layers inside fuel tanks under certain conditions. He questioned whether consumers were being properly informed about the composition of the fuel being dispensed to them.
The Karnataka government’s findings have added to the debate surrounding the implementation of the E20 programme, with questions being raised over fuel composition, vehicle compatibility, consumer costs and the preparedness of petrol pump infrastructure.
