Oil companies challenge Karnataka government claims on high ethanol levels
Public sector oil marketing companies reject allegations that petrol in Karnataka exceeded the 20 per cent ethanol limit.
Three public sector oil marketing companies (OMCs) have challenged claims by the Karnataka government that ethanol content in petrol sold in the state exceeds the 20 per cent limit, according to reports from Urban Acres and The Indian Express.
Karnataka Food, Civil Supplies and Legal Metrology Minister Rizwan Arshad said tests conducted by authorised laboratories found ethanol levels as high as 31.2 per cent in some samples. The minister stated that 14 out of 63 petrol outlets showed levels above the prescribed limit, including outlets operated by Indian Oil Corporation (IOCL), Bharat Petroleum Corporation (BPCL), Hindustan Petroleum Corporation (HPCL), Nayara, Shell and MRPL.
The OMCs rejected the findings, stating the sampling and testing process used in October did not follow the Motor Spirit and High Speed Diesel Control Order, 2005, or the Marketing Discipline Guidelines, 2024. The companies alleged that samples were collected without their representatives present and that the findings relied on third-party laboratory certificates rather than specified laboratories.
The companies noted that a separate monitoring exercise by the petroleum ministry’s Centre for High Technology (CHT) found 893 samples across 27 states and Union Territories were within the 19 per cent to 21 per cent range. In Karnataka, 56 samples tested by the CHT recorded an average ethanol level of 19.3 per cent.
The state government alleged that initial samples sent to IOCL and HPCL laboratories did not disclose ethanol content, raising transparency concerns. The oil companies said they are open to performing joint sampling and testing with the state if prescribed procedures are followed.
The dispute remains unresolved as the next steps depend on whether the state and the companies agree to share laboratory records and conduct a joint exercise.