Union Petroleum Minister Hardeep Puri has rejected concerns raised over the quality of E20 petrol, saying reports based on a now-withdrawn Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) communication were taking the issue out of context.
Puri said rigorous fuel testing had begun nearly two weeks before the SIAM communication referred to in media reports.
"Two weeks before that letter, we had already started rigorous testing," Puri said at a press briefing.
According to the minister, oil marketing companies (OMCs) and the petroleum ministry were collecting around 2,000 fuel samples from petrol stations in a single day as part of the testing exercise.
"They found four cases out of 1.07 lakh petrol pumps, with six 6-7 crore customers going every day," Puri said, arguing that the testing data did not support the concerns being highlighted.
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"So obviously, someone out there is trying to place some things out of context," he added.
The comments came after SIAM sought to clarify reports based on excerpts from an internal communication concerning fuel quality and E20 petrol.
SIAM said the communication was part of routine and ongoing technical deliberations involving automobile manufacturers, OMCs, testing agencies and other stakeholders. It said media reports had focused selectively on references to chloride and sulphur content in fuel.
The automobile industry body said fuel quality testing under India's regulatory framework is rigorous and comprehensive, with more than 150 parameters routinely monitored by OMCs. SIAM also said the figures cited in the communication needed to be authenticated through extensive data collection and should not be viewed in isolation.
The organisation pointed to a precautionary guideline of 3 parts per million (ppm) for chloride and sulphur instituted by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, saying the measures adequately address the automobile industry's requirements.
The Petroleum Ministry has also said fuel quality is being monitored regularly by OMCs, with testing protocols strengthened across the country.
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The ministry said water-ingress checks are now conducted 8-12 times a day at more than 87,000 retail outlets. It also said more than 2,000 fuel samples had been tested for chloride and sulphide contamination, with only two cases of chloride contamination detected nationwide.
Earlier reports, based on the SIAM communication, had suggested concerns over rising chloride contamination and moisture levels in E20 petrol following the wider rollout of ethanol-blended fuel.
Those reports had also linked potential contamination to higher replacement rates of components such as fuel injectors, fuel pumps and exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) valves, while suggesting stricter chloride limits under Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) fuel specifications.
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