Bengaluru: The Karnataka government on Friday alleged that major oil marketing companies (OMCs) were supplying petrol with ethanol content exceeding the prescribed 20% limit, with tests recording levels as high as 31.2%, and sought action against the companies.
Addressing a press conference, Food, Civil Supplies, Consumer Affairs and Legal Metrology Minister Rizwan Arshad said the allegations were based on tests conducted on petrol samples collected from Bengaluru, Kolar, Chikkaballapura, Bengaluru Rural, Ramanagara, Mangaluru and Tumakuru.
According to the test results issued by the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories-accredited and ISO-certified Shriram Research Institute, Bengaluru, samples from Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) recorded ethanol content of 31.2% and 30.5%, respectively.
The results showed ethanol content of 27% in HPCL (MS) petrol, 26.5% in Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited’s (BPCL) Speed, 26.1% in Nayara, 25.5% in Shell , 24.2% and 22.6% in two BPCL samples, 22.4% in another HPCL sample and 20.8% in another IOCL sample.
Among the remaining samples in the Motor Spirit (MS) category, ethanol content was recorded at 20.6% in Nayara petrol, 19.9% in a BPCL sample, 19.2% in a Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited (MRPL) sample and 13.5% in a Shell sample.
The minister said samples drawn from major fuel companies had revealed ethanol content exceeding 20%, with IOCL and HPCL recording levels of 31.2% and 30.5%, respectively.
“The oil companies are blending above 20%. The problem is, E20 compliant vehicles are being manufactured in the country from 2023 onwards. Out of the total vehicles, hardly a few percentage of vehicles have E20 compliance,” Arshad said.
According to him, if the mixing is above E20, then the E20-compliant vehicles will also have issues. “99 per cent of vehicles cannot handle any fuel beyond E20,” the minister said, referring to the ethanol blending.
According to him, prominent vehicle companies had initially said their products were not compatible for 20% ethanol blending. “But after (central) government intervention, what transpired, we don’t know. Whether it was an explanation or anything else. All these companies kept quiet on that,” he claimed. He also said there is ambiguity whether the warranty given to vehicles cover damages caused by E20 fuel.
A press release issued by him alleged that the samples were initially submitted to the in-house laboratories of IOCL and BPCL, but their test reports did not disclose the ethanol content, despite it being one of the prescribed testing parameters. “This omission raises serious questions about the transparency of the oil marketing companies and what they seek to conceal from consumers,” it said.
The Karnataka government said consumers were bearing a heavy financial burden due to over-blending, citing reduced mileage and possible damage to vehicle components, including filters, fuel pumps, injectors, hoses and seals.
