E20 Petrol Meets Prescribed Quality Norms; 893 Samples Across 27 States and UTs Found Compliant
The companies said the findings were unreliable because required retention samples and prescribed laboratory procedures were not followed.
- On Friday, the Karnataka government alleged that major oil marketing companies supplied petrol with ethanol content reaching 31.2 per cent, exceeding the prescribed 20 per cent limit; state-run OMCs rejected the claims, citing procedural irregularities.
- Three state-run OMCs—Indian Oil Corporation Limited , Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited , and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited —asserted that E20 petrol complies with Bureau of Indian Standards specification IS 17021, highlighting that blending is automated.
- The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas stated that Karnataka's October exercise bypassed statutory procedures, lacking required retention samples. "The certificates cited... merely mention 'Ethanol % by Gas Chromatography', without specifying the applicable standard test method," the Ministry said.
- Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Saturday alleged companies supplied fuel beyond prescribed limits. "Your car wasn't built to handle that much ethanol, meaning lower mileage, repeated trips to the mechanic," he wrote.
- Nationally, the Ministry reported that all 893 samples of E20 petrol drawn from public sector OMCs across 27 States and Union Territories conformed to quality standards. Official studies show mileage reductions remain within 1 per cent to 6 per cent.
21 Articles
21 Articles
Oil Companies Reject Karnataka Minister's '30% Ethanol' Charge Over E20 Petrol, Question Testing Method
Indian Oil, Bharat Petroleum, and Hindustan Petroleum said the claims, as reported, were "not supported by testing conducted in accordance with the prescribed statutory and technical procedures".
Devdiscourse
ChiniMandiE20 petrol meets prescribed quality norms; 893 samples across 27 States and UTs found compliant
All 893 samples of E20 petrol drawn from public sector oil marketing companies across 27 States and Union Territories have conformed to prescribed quality standards, refuting claims of excessive ethanol blending, according to the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.
Centre rejects Karnataka's claims of excess ethanol blending in E20, flags incorrect sampling, lab tests
The Centre rejected allegations of excess ethanol blending in petrol sold in Karnataka, questioning the sampling and testing procedures adopted in the October exercise. It reiterated that E20 petrol supplied by IOCL, BPCL and HPCL across the country conforms to the BIS standard IS 17021.
Explained: What is the ethanol issue in Karnataka and why have OMCs rejected the state govt's excess blending claims?
State-run OMCs have rejected Karnataka's claims that petrol at some outlets contained up to 31.2% ethanol, questioning the sampling and testing methods. They say E20 supplies meet BIS standards and have sought independent testing of the disputed samples.
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