K'taka finds up to 31.2% ethanol in petrol, seeks action against OMCs

Karnataka's Minister for Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs, Rizwan Arshad has alleged that Petrol sold by major oil companies in Karnataka contains ethanol well above the permitted 20 per cent in what's marketed as E20, with one Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) sample recording 31.2 per cent. The state government said it had tested petrol samples from different companies and found ethanol concentrations exceeding 20% in several samples, raising concerns that motorists could be suffering financial losses because of excessive blending. IOCL petrol recorded an ethanol blend of 31.2 per cent, while Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) recorded 30.5 per cent, he said. Samples from another government-owned firm, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), and private firms Nayara and Shell showed 26.5, 26.1, and 25.5 per cent, respectively. Bengaluru was among the districts where samples exceeded the 20 per cent limit.

Karnataka minister Rizwan Arshad claims: > He got petrol from 63 different petrol pumps across the state tested. > In 4 out 5 samples, the ethanol content was found to be over 20%. https://t.co/CZGMhn2WdV

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As many as 63 samples were collected from major oil marketing companies, including IOCL, HPCL and Shell, across Karnataka. The samples were initially sent to the oil marketing companies' laboratories along with several queries, including one seeking details of the ethanol content in each of the 63 samples. The samples were tested by the Bengaluru-based Shriram Research Institute, which is accredited by the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories and is ISO-certified. "It's not E20 fuel. It's more than 31.2% ethanol at IOCL, 30.5% at HPCL, 26.5% at BPCL, 26.1% at Nayara and 25.5% at Shell," the Karnataka government said in a press release.

(State Correspondent)