Up to 31.2% ethanol in petrol? Karnataka govt flags excess blending, oil firms reject claims

Bengaluru: The Karnataka government has alleged that major oil companies were supplying petrol with ethanol content as high as 31.2 per cent, exceeding the prescribed 20 per cent limit, based on tests conducted on samples collected across seven districts. It has sought action against the companies, compensation for affected vehicle owners and mandatory disclosure of ethanol blend levels at petrol pumps. However, public sector oil marketing companies (OMCs) have rejected the findings, questioning the sampling procedure and saying the tests did not follow prescribed statutory and technical norms.

In a joint statement on Friday, Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL), Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) said the claims were not supported by tests conducted in accordance with established procedures.

The companies maintained that the E20 petrol supplied by them across the country, including Karnataka, complied with IS 17021, the Bureau of Indian Standards specification for ethanol-blended motor gasoline. They also raised concerns over the sampling procedure and methodology adopted during the state's October 2026 exercise.

According to the OMCs, the Motor Spirit and High Speed Diesel (Regulation of Supply, Distribution and Prevention of Malpractices) Order, 2005, issued under the Essential Commodities Act, read with the Marketing Discipline Guidelines (MDG) 2024, prescribes a specific procedure for collecting, retaining and testing fuel samples.

Under the procedure, six one-litre samples must be collected. Two are to be handed over to the dealer against acknowledgement, two retained by the oil company or the department, and the remaining two sent to a laboratory specified under Schedule III of the Control Order or notified in the Official Gazette.

The sample labels must be jointly signed, and the test results communicated to the dealer and the oil company within the stipulated period, the companies said. They said samples collected during a September 2026 exercise were routed through the State Level Coordinator to designated OMC laboratories and tested for quality parameters specified under the MDG 2024. However, the October exercise reportedly involved samples collected without the participation of OMC representatives.

The companies also claimed they had not received the corresponding retention samples, complete outlet-wise details or laboratory reports, despite seeking them through the State Level Coordinator.

The reported findings were based on certificates issued by a third-party laboratory rather than a laboratory specified under the Control Order, the statement said. It added that the certificates did not contain sufficient technical details to independently verify the reported ethanol content.

The absence of counterpart samples and prescribed documentation had also denied the companies and dealers an opportunity to seek verification or retesting, the OMCs said.

What Karnataka's tests revealed
Karnataka Food, Civil Supplies, Consumer Affairs and Legal Metrology Minister Rizwan Arshad alleged that tests conducted on petrol samples collected from Bengaluru, Kolar, Chikkaballapura, Bengaluru Rural, Ramanagara, Mangaluru and Tumakuru had revealed ethanol content exceeding the prescribed 20 per cent limit.

According to test results issued by Shriram Research Institute, Bengaluru, which is accredited by the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories and ISO-certified, samples from IOCL and HPCL recorded ethanol content of 31.2 per cent and 30.5 per cent, respectively.

Other samples reportedly showed ethanol levels ranging from 20.6 per cent to 27 per cent, while some recorded levels below the prescribed limit. The state government alleged that excessive ethanol blending could reduce vehicle mileage and damage components such as filters, fuel pumps, injectors, hoses and seals. It also claimed that most vehicles in India were not designed to run on blends exceeding E20.

Karnataka demanded legal action against oil companies found supplying petrol with more than 20 per cent ethanol, compensation for affected consumers and mandatory display of ethanol blend percentages at petrol pumps.

The state also sought the establishment of an E20 Damage Compensation Fund with a time-bound claims process. Chief Minister D K Shivakumar backed the demands, calling for the Centre to publicly disclose the actual ethanol content in petrol supplied across the country.

In a post on X, he said independent laboratory tests had revealed ethanol levels as high as 31.2 per cent in samples from major oil companies, well beyond the E20 limit.

He also sought strict legal action against companies found violating the prescribed limits, public disclosure of petrol pump-level audit reports and a compensation mechanism for vehicle owners affected by excessive blending.