IOCL, BPCL, HPCL defend E20 fuel quality, question Karnataka testing methodology
New Delhi, Nov 6 (TNT) : Public sector oil marketing companies Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL), Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) on Friday defended the quality of E20 petrol supplied across the country, including Karnataka, and questioned the testing methodology behind the Karnataka government’s claim that petrol samples contained 26 to 31 per cent ethanol.
The three companies said E20 petrol supplied through their retail outlets conformed to the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) specification IS 17021 and maintained that the reported findings were not supported by tests conducted in accordance with prescribed statutory and technical procedures.
In a joint clarification, the oil companies said 893 E20 samples collected from depots and retail outlets across 27 States and Union Territories had been tested under the Oil Marketing Companies/Centre for High Technology (CHT) Quality Coordination Cell exercise.
All the samples were found to contain ethanol within the prescribed range of 19 to 21 per cent.
Of these, 56 samples collected from different locations in Karnataka and covering all three oil companies recorded ethanol content between 19 and 20 per cent, with an average of 19.30 per cent, they said.
Questioning the Karnataka government’s October 2026 sampling exercise, the companies said the prescribed procedure under the Motor Spirit and High Speed Diesel (Regulation of Supply, Distribution and Prevention of Malpractices) Order, 2005, read with the Marketing Discipline Guidelines (MDG) 2024, required six one-litre samples to be drawn, with samples distributed among the dealer, oil company and designated laboratory.
However, the October exercise reportedly involved sampling without the participation of oil company representatives.
The companies said they had not received retention samples, complete outlet-wise details or laboratory reports despite seeking the information through the State Level Coordinator.
They also questioned the reliance on certificates issued by a third-party laboratory, stating that the documents did not specify the standard test method, prescribed dilution procedure or reference material used to determine ethanol content through Gas Chromatography.
The companies maintained that such details were essential for independently verifying the reported ethanol levels under IS 17021.
They also pointed to discrepancies in the density readings recorded in the certificates and called for independent testing using authorised laboratory procedures.
Explaining the blending process, the companies said ethanol was mixed with petrol through calibrated and automated systems at refineries and depots, under established quality-control protocols, and was not a manual or arbitrary process.
They also disputed estimates cited in connection with the consumer impact of E20 fuel, including an alleged annual mileage loss of around Rs 62,000 crore and vehicle repair costs of Rs 39,000 crore.
According to the companies, more than 30 crore two-wheelers and four crore four-wheelers had been using E20 fuel for over three years, without any reported widespread incidence of vehicle breakdowns attributable to fuel quality.
Citing technical studies involving the Inter-Ministerial Committee, Indian Oil Corporation, the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) and the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), they said vehicles calibrated for E20 could experience a mileage reduction of around one to two per cent, while certain other vehicles could record a reduction of three to six per cent, depending on vehicle category and calibration.
They argued that applying a uniform 10 per cent mileage loss across the entire vehicle population was not scientifically justified and that estimates of vehicle repair costs required supporting technical evidence and documented expenditure.
Highlighting the benefits of the ethanol blending programme, the companies said it had generated foreign exchange savings of more than Rs 1.97 lakh crore, substituted approximately 316 lakh metric tonnes of crude oil and reduced carbon dioxide emissions by around 952 lakh metric tonnes since the Ethanol Blended Petrol programme began in 2014-15. More than Rs 1.66 lakh crore had also been transferred to farmers, they added.
During the Ethanol Supply Year 2025-26, which ended on October 31, 2026, the three public sector oil companies procured 1,089 crore litres of ethanol and blended 1,134 crore litres against petrol sales of approximately 5,673 crore litres, pursuing the national 20 per cent blending target.
The companies said ethanol procurement involved substantial costs and there was no commercial rationale for oil marketing companies to undertake blending beyond the prescribed proportion.
Seeking transparency, the companies have requested the Karnataka government to share complete sampling records, outlet-wise laboratory reports and details of the testing methodology.
They have also sought access to counterpart samples for independent testing at an authorised laboratory in the presence of State government and oil company representatives.
The companies said they were willing to cooperate with the State government in conducting joint sampling and testing in accordance with the prescribed procedures and reiterated their commitment to fuel quality, regulatory compliance and consumer protection.
TNT KS
