Lab tests show ethanol blend in petrol is as high as 31% higher than 20% E20 petrol in Karnataka government

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A fuel pump worker filling petrol at Vijayanagar in Bengaluru. The samples were taken from Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL), Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL), Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), Nayara, and Shell petrol pumps.  | Photo Credit: SUDHAKARA JAIN

The Congress-led government in Karnataka has claimed that lab tests have revealed that the ethanol blend in petrol being sold in the State is higher than the permitted 20%, and in some cases as high as 31%. This has raised questions of transparency in the controversial ethanol blend petrol being sold to consumers across the country, an issue on which Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has criticised the Union Government. 

The samples in question were taken recently by the Department of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs from Bengaluru Urban, Bengaluru Rural, Kolar, Chikkaballapura, Tumakuru, and Dakshina Kannada districts in Karnataka. Petrol from major Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) recorded ethanol blend percentage of 31.2% and 30.5%, respectively. Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), Nayara, and Shell petrol samples revealed 26.5%, 26.1%, and 25.5% ethanol blend, respectively, announced Rizwan Arshad, Minister of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs, Karnataka, on November 6. 

Mr. Arshad said the samples were initially submitted to the in-house laboratories of IOCL and BPCL. But. he claimed, the test reports issued by these laboratories did not disclose the ethanol content in the fuel, despite it being one of the prescribed testing parameters. “This raises serious concerns on transparency from the oil majors and what they are hiding from the consumers,” he said. 

“The Department of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs, Karnataka, later got the same samples tested at labs recognised by National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL), and International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO). These reports have revealed higher ethanol blends,” Mr. Arshad said. 

Mr. Arshad said 99% of India’s over 35 crore vehicles are not built for ethanol blend of more than 20%, and the risk is not just limited to old vehicles. “Vehicles sold after April 2023 have been certified only up to E20. With lower-ethanol blend petrol withdrawn from nearly one lakh fuel stations, the consumer has been left with no alternative,” he said. 

Assuming a 10% mileage loss at ₹100/litre, he said the hidden loss to consumers would add up to around ₹62,000 crore, on the basis of India’s consumption of 6,200 crore litres of fuel every year.

The Minister claimed that adding damage and repair costs due to higher blends, the loss would be around ₹1 lakh crore, but did not elaborate on how he arrived at this figure. 

Mr. Arshad demanded that the Union Government penalise OMCs for ‘over-blending’, even as the Karnataka government will continue to conduct these tests and release their findings. “Every fuel pump in the country should be mandated to display ethanol blend percentage, allowing consumers to choose between the range of blends available,” he said. 

The Minister demanded that the Union Government establish an E20 spoilage fund and compensate every consumer whose vehicle has been damaged, through a time-bound claims process with damage certified by authorised service centres. 

“Before all these steps are taken, the Union Government owes an explanation to the consumers who have suffered. The Union Government, OMCs, and vehicle manufacturers are making windfall profits at the cost of consumers,” he alleged.

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