OMCs refute chloride contamination, excess moisture in E20 fuel
The OMCs based their assurance on E20’s reliability based on checks across retail outlets, refineries and at the point of ethanol procurement, that is, distilleries
State-owned oil marketing companies (OMCs) have dismissed allegations of chloride contamination and excess moisture in E20 fuel, asserting that intensive testing across various points has confirmed compliance with prescribed limits. IndianOil, Bharat Petroleum, and Hindustan Petroleum, represented jointly, stated that their tests found chloride levels at or below 1 parts per million (ppm) in 100 random samples from refineries, and below 3 ppm in 80 ethanol and E20 samples.
The ethanol component, sourced from distilleries, also exhibited "chloride levels significantly below the prescribed specification." The assurance follows concerns raised by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) about potential vehicle part wear due to chloride presence in E20 fuel since its introduction. SIAM later withdrew its letter, citing a need for further authentication of the cited data.
The OMCs emphasized that their tests were conducted at multiple points, including refineries, distilleries, depots, and retail outlets, affirming consistent quality maintenance throughout the supply chain. Additionally, about 90,000 retail outlets have begun mandatory inspection and monitoring of underground storage tanks, with no evidence of water ingress detected so far.
Written by urgent.news from The Hindu's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
