New Delhi: The Centre has rejected allegations of excessive ethanol blending in petrol in Karnataka, stating that all 893 samples tested across 27 states and Union Territories complied with prescribed quality standards.
The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas said all 56 samples tested in Karnataka contained ethanol within the prescribed 19-21% range, with levels between 19% and 20% and an average of 19.30%.
The clarification follows claims by the Karnataka government that samples collected from certain petrol outlets contained 26-31% ethanol.
Public sector oil marketing companies (OMCs) — Indian Oil Corporation, Bharat Petroleum and Hindustan Petroleum — questioned the sampling procedure, stating that their representatives were not involved in the October exercise. They also sought access to retention samples, outlet-wise details and complete laboratory reports.
The companies said the prescribed procedure requires samples to be collected and distributed among the dealer, oil company or department, and an authorised laboratory.
The Centre said periodic testing conducted under the supervision of the Centre for High Technology found all 893 samples within the stipulated range.
The ministry also disputed claims of annual consumer losses of ₹62,000 crore due to reduced mileage and ₹39,000 crore in vehicle repair expenses. It said mileage reduction varied according to vehicle type and calibration, estimating a 1-2% impact for E20-calibrated vehicles and 3-6% for certain others.
Since 2014-15, the ethanol blending programme has reportedly saved ₹1.97 lakh crore in foreign exchange, substituted 316 lakh metric tonnes of crude oil and reduced 952 lakh metric tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.
The OMCs have proposed joint sampling and independent testing with the Karnataka government to resolve the dispute.
