IOCL, BPCL, and HPCL Reiterate E20 Fuel Quality Standards and Raise Concerns About the Testing Process Used to Support Karnataka Claims.

News Desk, News Nation 360: The three Public Sector OMCs, Indian Oil Corporation Limited, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited, and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited have issued a joint clarification stating that they are refuting allegations made by the Karnataka Department of Food, Civil Supplies, Consumer Affairs and Legal Metrology that petrol dispensed at select outlets in Karnataka contains out of specification Ethanol blends from 26%-31%. The companies stated that all E20 fuels are strictly compliant with IS 17021 (Bureau of Indian Standards) via automated calibration at refineries. It was strongly questioned why unauthorised tests were conducted in October 2026. The State’s third-party test did not follow the protocol as laid down by the Motor Spirit and High Speed Diesel Control Order, 2005 and Marketing Discipline Guidelines (MDG) 2024. This includes samples being jointly signed and handed over to the lab, proper notification to the lab and samples being diluted 1:1. As densities are coming out low (0.742-0.749g/cc), this would be contradictory to high-blends. The Quality Coordination Cell (QCC) at the Centre for High Technology (CHT) have also tested all 893 samples (56 from Karnataka averaging at 19.30%) nationally and found them all compliant within 19-21%. The companies have also stated that there IS no basis for claims of ₹1.01 lakh crore of mileage and repair losses. Since 2014, the Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) programme has saved over ₹1.97 lakh crore in foreign exchange, reduced carbon emissions by 952 lakh metric tonnes, and given ₹1.66 lakh crore to Indian farmers. The companies have requested the Karnataka Government to provide documentation for samples and jointly conduct referee tests.