Karnataka govt stands by report of over 20% ethanol in petrol, questions oil firms' data on blending

Karnataka minister Rizwan Arshad said state stands by its findings that petrol samples contained more than prescribed 20% ethanol, with some showing up to 31.2%

Karnataka minister Rizwan Arshad on Monday said that the state government stood by its findings that petrol samples collected from across the state contained more than the prescribed 20% ethanol, as it accused three oil marketing companies (OMCs) of failing to disclose the ethanol blending content in their laboratory reports.

The state says petrol samples contained more than the prescribed 20% ethanol, a claim the oil marketing companies dispute. (Representational image: AFP)

Talking to reporters, the minister for food, civil supplies, consumer affairs and legal metrology said the government will not withdraw its findings that OMCs were blending more than the prescribed 20% ethanol in petrol, with some samples showing levels of up to 31.2%.

“The Government of Karnataka stands by its report and claims that oil marketing companies are blending more than 20% ethanol in petrol, which will cause serious damage to the engines of vehicles and burden the common man,” he said.

The minister also demanded that consumers be given the choice of buying E10, E20, E30 and pure petrol, depending on their vehicles’ compatibility.

The state government announced its findings, which it claimed were based on testing 63 samples collected from across seven districts, on November 6. The findings recorded an Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) sample with 31.2% ethanol, while samples from Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) recorded 30.5% and 26.5%, respectively.

The three OMCs disputed the findings the same day, questioning the government’s sampling procedure, testing methodology and choice of laboratories. They cited a separate exercise in which 893 samples from 27 states and Union territories, including 56 from Karnataka, were found to contain between 19% and 21% ethanol.

Refuting the contention, Arshad said the state government had followed the prescribed sampling and testing procedures and challenged the OMCs to explain the actual ethanol content in 63 samples collected from petrol pumps across the state. The minister added that the state had collected 63 samples from September 21 onwards and sent them to different OMCs, but they had failed to provide specific ethanol-blending percentages for the samples.

Separately, Arshad’s department in a detailed statement on Monday said: “IS 17021:2018, the standard the OMCs themselves cite, clearly lays down the procedures for testing ethanol content. Yet not a single OMC report gave that figure. It was the OMC laboratories’ failure to provide the required result that raised the suspicion. On no grounds can the state’s tests be discredited for this.”

HT reached out to the three OMCs for a comment on the government’s statement, but could not get a response till going to press.

The samples, the statement said, were subsequently sent to laboratories accredited by the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) and certified under an ISO standard.

Rejecting the OMCs’ contention that irregularities could have occurred at individual petrol outlets, Arshad said ethanol blending was a controlled and automated process carried out at terminals and not by petroleum dealers.

“This is not an ordinary adulteration issue involving a few outlets. Ethanol has to be blended at the terminals. As far as my knowledge goes, Karnataka has six such terminals where oil marketing companies blend ethanol,” he said, adding that petrol pump owners and dealers had nothing to do with the alleged overblending.

Stressing that ethanol blending itself was not opposed by the state government, the minister said consumers must be allowed to choose fuel based on their vehicle requirements. “If you say that the fuel is E20, then give consumers exactly E20. The common man who pays for the fuel must get what has been promised to him. Do not deceive consumers by supplying fuel with E30 blending while claiming that it is E20.”

He added: "If I own a vehicle that is not E10-compatible, I should be able to purchase pure petrol. If I own an E10-compatible vehicle, I should be able to purchase E10 fuel. If I own an E20-compatible vehicle, I should be able to purchase E20 fuel.”

The state has demanded that fuel testing be taken out of the control of OMCs and be placed under an independent system. “When the oil companies test their own fuel in their own laboratories and declare themselves compliant, they are acting as both the accused and the judge. That is a clear conflict of interest, and no consumer can be asked to trust it,” the government statement said.

The OMCs also alleged that Karnataka had not followed the sampling procedure prescribed under the Motor Spirit and High Speed Diesel (Regulation of Supply, Distribution and Prevention of Malpractices) Order, 2005. Arshad said the collection process was documented in the presence of the concerned representatives as per the prescribed procedure.

“Everything was recorded in front of everyone. It was clearly mentioned who the authorised officers were, the name of the retail outlet, the quality of the sample, the date, and the names of the dealer, transporter and authorised representative. We haven’t just collected samples on our own, we’ve followed the legal procedure,” he said.

The minister will convene a meeting with the representatives of OMCs to discuss the findings and measures to protect consumers, the department said.