Karnataka challenges OMCs over ethanol, calls for nationwide testing

• Karnataka says independent laboratories found ethanol content of up to 31.2 per cent in several petrol samples.

• Civil supplies minister Rizwan Arshad questions OMC testing and warns of vehicle compatibility concerns.

• Kerala begins collecting fuel samples as Karnataka urges other states to conduct independent tests.

None of the 63 petrol samples sent by the Karnataka government to oil marketing companies (OMCs) for testing yielded any information on their ethanol content, prompting the state to approach independent laboratories, civil supplies minister Rizwan Arshad said on Monday, 9 November. The third-party tests subsequently found ethanol levels of up to 31.2 per cent in some samples, well above the prescribed 20 per cent blending norm.

The minister said the findings could not be dismissed when the tests had been conducted by laboratories accredited under India's national quality assurance system. Responding to the oil companies' questions about the sampling and testing procedures, he said authorised officers had collected the samples, dealers or their representatives had jointly signed the labels, and fuel density had been recorded.

The oil marketing companies (OMCs) last week rejected laboratory reports released by Arshad that showed ethanol content of up to 31.2 per cent in several samples. The companies maintained that the petrol supplied by them conformed to the prescribed 20 per cent blending norm.

Union minister H.D. Kumaraswamy's remarks on Saturday have also added to suspicions that petrol with a higher ethanol content was being supplied. "What I have seen over the past three to four months is that in the Central government, [there are plans that] it should be 30 per cent mixing, what was 20 per cent should be made 30 per cent..." he said.

Kumaraswamy, however, did not claim to have definite knowledge of any such decision and added that petroleum was not under his charge. He said he had been seeing reports over the previous three to four months that the Union government was considering increasing ethanol blending in petrol and that "certain decisions" had already been taken by the concerned departments.

Arshad said the OMCs were themselves blending ethanol with petrol and certifying that the prescribed 20 per cent limit was being maintained. However, he pointed out that very few four-wheelers on Indian roads were even E10- or E20-compliant. Two-wheelers were particularly vulnerable to fuel with higher ethanol content, he said, adding that the state government had received complaints of reduced mileage, vehicles stalling, frequent repairs and replacement of parts. Some owners had even been forced to sell their vehicles as scrap.

"Our question to the OMCs was simple: Please test and tell us the ethanol content at the outlets. We gave them 63 samples. They did not insist on joint testing at the time. In their reply, they avoided mentioning the ethanol content, which is why the state government approached third-party laboratories. Consumers should know what they are paying for, and OMCs owe it to them to disclose what they are selling," the minister said. The collection and testing of samples would continue, he added.

In a statement, the Karnataka government said its petrol sampling exercise had been conducted strictly in accordance with the Motor Spirit and High Speed Diesel Order, 2005, ensuring transparency at every stage. Every sample was collected in the presence of petrol pump owners and company representatives, with signatures and acknowledgements obtained from all stakeholders.

"When OMC laboratories failed to report ethanol percentages in the initial 63 samples, Karnataka approached independent NABL-accredited, ISO-certified and BIS-recognised laboratories for verification. If the sampling process was transparent and the laboratories were accredited, why are the findings being questioned instead of OMCs answering the actual question: What is the ethanol percentage in the petrol being sold to consumers?" the statement said.

The state government, Arshad said, stood by its findings that oil marketing companies were blending more than 20 per cent ethanol in petrol, raising serious concerns about vehicle-engine compatibility, fuel quality and the additional financial burden on ordinary citizens.

He also questioned the OMCs' reliance on their own testing methods, saying they were attempting to establish the reliability of their results using basic water-based hydrometer kits while refusing to accept Karnataka's findings from independent tests conducted by NABL-accredited third-party laboratories.

With only around 6,200 vehicles registered on the VAHAN portal as capable of using higher ethanol-blended fuel, the compatibility concerns affecting millions of other vehicles could not be ignored, Arshad added.

"The Union government must address these fundamental questions and direct oil marketing companies to accept independent third-party testing. When it comes to fuel quality and consumer safety, there can be no compromise on transparency and accountability," he said.

Karnataka's study on E20 petrol has raised serious concerns about fuel quality, consumer rights and vehicle safety. Calling for transparent, independent third-party fuel testing across the country, Arshad urged other state governments to collect and test fuel samples as well.

"Instead of addressing our findings with scientific evidence, the Union government has responded through oil marketing companies, leaving one crucial question unanswered: What is the actual ethanol content in the petrol sold to consumers?" he said.

The controversy took a new turn on Monday when the Kerala government also began collecting fuel samples for testing.