India

OMCs Refute Karnataka’s 30% Ethanol Claim, Cite Methodology Issues

By Atul Mathur

Public sector oil marketing companies (OMCs) on Friday disputed claims by the Congress‑led Karnataka government that petrol tested by state‑authorised laboratories contained ethanol levels exceeding the 20% limit. Karnataka food, civil supplies and legal metrology minister Rizwan Arshad said that samples from across the state showed ethanol as high as 31.2%. The three OMCs – Indian Oil Corporation, Bharat Petroleum Corporation and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation – countered that the sampling and testing conducted in October did not follow the Motor Spirit and High Speed Diesel Control Order, 2005, or the Marketing Discipline Guidelines, 2024, and that the samples were drawn without their representatives present.

The retailers pointed to a quality‑monitoring exercise by the petroleum ministry’s Centre for High Technology, which collected 893 samples from OMC depots and retail outlets in 27 states and Union Territories. All those samples were found to contain ethanol within the prescribed 19‑21% range. The OMCs also reported that the 56 samples tested in Karnataka, covering different locations and all three OMCs, met specifications with ethanol content between 19% and 20%, averaging 19.3%.

The companies requested full sampling documentation, outlet‑wise laboratory reports and details of the testing methodology from the Karnataka government, and asked for access to counterpart samples for independent testing at an authorised laboratory in the presence of state and company representatives. They said they were willing to cooperate with the state in a joint sampling and testing exercise following prescribed procedures.

Arshad had earlier cited laboratory findings from 14 of 63 petrol bunks, including Nayara, Shell and MRPL facilities, as well as IOCL and HPCL petrol bunks, which showed maximum ethanol blends of 31.2% and 30.5% respectively, well above the 20% limit. The Karnataka government also claimed that samples were initially sent to IOCL and HPCL labs for testing, but that these laboratories did not disclose the ethanol content, raising concerns about transparency among the oil marketing companies.