New Delhi, Nov 7 (IANS) The Centre on Saturday rejected claims of excessive ethanol blending in petrol at certain retail outlets in Karnataka, while questioning the sampling and testing methodology adopted by the state and saying all 56 samples tested in the state under a nationwide quality monitoring exercise complied with prescribed E20 specifications. The Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas (MoPNG) said the three public sector oil marketing companies (OMCs) -- Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL), Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) -- had clarified that the reported claims of 26-31 per cent ethanol blending were not supported by tests conducted under prescribed statutory and technical procedures.

E20 petrol supplied by the three companies across the country, including Karnataka, conforms to IS 17021, the Bureau of Indian Standards specification for ethanol-blended motor gasoline, the ministry said in a statement. It further noted that the OMCs had raised concerns over the sampling procedure and testing methodology adopted during the October 2026 exercise. "The Motor Spirit and High Speed Diesel (Regulation of Supply, Distribution and Prevention of Malpractices) Order, 2005, issued under the Essential Commodities Act, 1955, read with the Marketing Discipline Guidelines (MDG) 2024, prescribes a defined procedure for sampling, retention, testing and communication of results," according to the ministry.

Under the prescribed procedure, six one-litre samples are to be drawn, with two handed over to the dealer, two retained by the oil company or department and two sent to a designated laboratory. The government also said that samples collected during the September 2026 exercise were routed through the State Level Coordinator to designated OMC laboratories and tested for the required quality parameters . However, the subsequent October exercise reportedly involved samples drawn without the participation of OMC representatives.

The companies have also not received the corresponding retention samples, complete outlet-wise details or laboratory reports, despite seeking these through the State Level Coordinator, it said. The OMCs further pointed out that the reported findings relied on certificates issued by a third-party laboratory rather than a laboratory specified under the Control Order, according to the ministry. In addition, the certificates did not provide complete technical details, including the applicable standard test method, dilution procedure and reference material used to determine ethanol content. The ministry said these omissions prevented independent verification of the reported ethanol levels and denied the companies and dealers an opportunity to seek retesting.

It also flagged discrepancies in density readings mentioned in the certificates, saying samples reportedly containing 26-31 per cent ethanol showed densities lower than those recorded in E20 samples tested by the OMCs. The ministry said the discrepancies further underscored the need for testing through prescribed methodologies and verification against appropriate reference samples. As part of the OMC/Centre for High Technology (CHT) Quality Coordination Cell exercise, 893 E20 samples collected from 27 states and Union Territories were tested for ethanol content under IS 17021, Annex C, at refinery and OMC quality-control laboratories. Of these, 330 samples were from IOCL, 280 from BPCL and 283 from HPCL.

All 893 samples were found to contain ethanol within the prescribed 19-21 per cent range, the ministry said. Significantly, all 56 samples tested in Karnataka, covering different locations and all three OMCs also complied with the specifications, recording ethanol content between 19 per cent and 20 per cent, with an average of 19.30 per cent. These findings were inconsistent with the substantially higher ethanol levels reported in the Karnataka press release and reinforced the need for transparent, technically sound and jointly verifiable testing, according to the government.

It added that ethanol blending at OMC refineries and depots is carried out through calibrated and automated systems, with blending governed by prescribed specifications and quality-control protocols, rather than through manual or arbitrary addition of ethanol. Apart from that, the ministry also questioned claims of an estimated annual consumer mileage loss of around Rs 62,000 crore and vehicle-repair costs of Rs 39,000 crore, aggregating to approximately Rs 1.01 lakh crore. It said the estimates required careful examination against established technical evidence and actual vehicle-performance data.

More than 30 crore two-wheelers and four crore four-wheelers have been running on E20 fuel for over three years, while over six crore people visit petrol pumps daily to refuel their vehicles, the ministry said. It added that no widespread incidence of vehicle breakdowns had been reported, arguing that the extensive real-world usage was an important consideration in assessing claims relating to fuel quality and vehicle performance.

According to the ministry, studies involving the Inter-Ministerial Committee, IOCL, the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) and the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) have examined the performance and mileage implications of E20. Vehicles calibrated for E20 may experience a mileage reduction of around 1-2 per cent, while certain other vehicles could see a reduction of approximately 3-6 per cent, depending on vehicle category and calibration, it said, citing a response published by the ministry on the Press Information Bureau website in August 2025.

The ministry said applying a blanket assumption of 10 per cent mileage loss across the entire vehicle population to arrive at a national consumer-loss estimate was not scientifically established.It also said the vehicle-repair cost estimate needed to be substantiated through transparent assessments of vehicle performance, materials compatibility and documented repair costs. The ministry said the ethanol blending programme was aimed at reducing dependence on imported crude oil, strengthening domestic agricultural value chains and advancing energy security. Since the Ethanol Supply Year (ESY) 2014-15, the programme has resulted in foreign exchange savings of over Rs 1.97 lakh crore, substitution of approximately 316 lakh metric tonnes of crude oil, reduction of around 952 lakh metric tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions and transfer of more than Rs 1.66 lakh crore to farmers, it said.

During ESY 2025-26, ending October 31, 2026, PSU OMCs procured 1,089 crore litres of ethanol and blended 1,134 crore litres against petrol sales of approximately  5,673 crore litres, in pursuit of the national 20 per cent blending target. The ministry said the suggestion that OMCs had a commercial incentive to undertake blending beyond the prescribed target was misplaced, as additional ethanol procurement would increase their costs. However, the government reiterated its commitment to fuel quality, regulatory compliance and consumer protection through established quality-assurance and monitoring mechanisms.

--IANS