Indian Oil, Bharat Petroleum, Hindustan Petroleum, and other public sector oil marketing companies have said that reports claiming E-20 petrol contains high levels of chloride and moisture are false, and that extensive tests conducted across the country have confirmed that the fuel quality remains within prescribed standards.
Press release issued by the petroleum companies on Friday regarding this:
Following the recent release of various reports regarding the quality of E20 petrol, additional inspections were carried out at refineries where petrol is produced, ethanol plants, depots, tanker lorries, and petrol stations across the country.
These inspections have confirmed that there has been no impact on fuel quality. In more than 100 petrol samples taken from refineries, the chloride level was found to be less than 1 ppm. In samples collected from 80 ethanol plants over the past 10 days, the chloride level was also recorded at less than 3 ppm.
Similarly, among more than a thousand samples collected from depots, terminals, and petrol stations, the 160 samples tested so far showed chloride levels of only 0 to 3 ppm. No evidence has been found of chloride levels as high as 500 ppm, as claimed by some media outlets and on social media.
In addition, underground storage tanks at around 90,000 petrol stations across the country are being inspected 8 to 12 times a day. So far, no station has been found to have water mixed in with the petrol.
Therefore, the E-20 petrol sold by public sector oil companies meets all standards. It is stated that the public can use E-20 petrol without any fear.
