Politics · India Bureau
Centre defends E20 fuel quality after Karnataka raises ethanol concerns
India's petroleum ministry has countered claims by Karnataka authorities about excessive ethanol in E20 petrol, saying quality tests across the country show fuel samples are within prescribed standards. State-run oil companies have challenged the state government's assertions about fuel sold at retail outlets.
LSN India ·
The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas on Saturday issued a statement defending the 20 per cent ethanol-blended petrol programme, citing quality compliance across the nation. Testing of 893 fuel samples collected from 27 states and Union Territories, including 56 from Karnataka, confirmed that ethanol content in all samples fell within the prescribed 19-21 per cent range as per Bureau of Indian Standards specification IS 17021, the ministry said.
Indian Oil Corporation, Bharat Petroleum Corporation and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation jointly conducted the tests. The three state-run oil marketing companies found no violations of quality standards in any of the samples tested, the ministry added.
In Karnataka specifically, the 56 samples analysed from different retail locations and representing all three oil companies showed ethanol content between 19-20 per cent, with an average of 19.30 per cent. The results directly contradict recent concerns raised by Karnataka's Department of Food and related authorities regarding fuel quality at certain petrol pumps.
The E20 fuel programme, which aims to increase ethanol blending in petrol to reduce crude oil imports and lower emissions, has faced scrutiny in recent weeks. The ministry's findings suggest the rollout across retail outlets is proceeding within established quality parameters, though the Karnataka government's specific concerns indicate potential monitoring challenges at the ground level.