New Delhi: Three public sector oil marketing companies (OMCs) have rejected the Karnataka government’s claim that petrol sold at certain retail outlets in the state contains 26–31% ethanol, stating that the test results cannot be verified due to questions over the sampling and testing procedures, ANI reported.
Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL), Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) said petrol containing 20% ethanol, supplied across the country, including Karnataka, meets the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) specifications.
In a joint statement, the companies said the reported findings were not supported by tests conducted according to the prescribed technical and legal procedures. They maintained that the petrol supplied by them complies with IS 17021, the standard for ethanol-blended petrol.
The companies raised concerns over the sampling and testing methods used during an inspection conducted in October 2026. They alleged that the procedures did not follow the requirements of the Motor Spirit and High Speed Diesel Control Order, 2005, and the Marketing Discipline Guidelines, 2024.
According to the OMCs, the prescribed procedure requires six one-litre samples to be collected from each outlet. Two samples each must be given to the dealer, retained by the oil company or concerned department, and sent to an approved laboratory for testing.
The companies said samples collected in September 2026 were tested at designated OMC laboratories. However, the October inspection was reportedly conducted without representatives from the oil companies.
They added that despite requesting the relevant documents, they had not received the retained samples, outlet-wise details or laboratory reports.
The OMCs also questioned the use of certificates issued by a private laboratory instead of a laboratory authorised under the prescribed rules. They said the certificates did not provide sufficient technical information to verify the reported ethanol content.
The companies further pointed out that the absence of retained samples and required documents had prevented them and the concerned dealers from seeking a fresh examination of the results.
Under the BIS standard IS 17021:2018, updated through Amendment No. 3 in August 2025, ethanol content in petrol containing 20% ethanol must be tested using approved methods. These include infrared testing, water extraction and gas chromatography.
The OMCs explained that gas chromatography testing under ASTM D4815 or D6839 requires the fuel sample to be mixed with an equal quantity of petrol containing no oxygen-based additives. The results must then be adjusted using a certified E10 reference sample.
However, the laboratory certificates cited by the Karnataka government only mentioned the use of gas chromatography to measure ethanol content. They did not specify the testing standard, sample dilution procedure or reference material used.
The companies said the reported ethanol levels of 26–31% could not be independently verified without these details.
The three OMCs have asked the Karnataka government to provide complete sampling records, laboratory reports for each retail outlet and details of the testing methods used to arrive at the reported findings, according to ANI.
