Use E20 Petrol With Confidence, Says Centre Amid Row Over Blended Fuel

Consumers should continue to use E20 petrol with confidence, as the fuel supplied through the OMC network conforms to the prescribed quality specifications and is backed by robust quality assurance and monitoring systems designed to safeguard consumer interests at every stage of the supply chain, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas said on Saturday.In a statement, the ministry said that amid recent media reports on moisture and chloride in EBMS (E20 Petrol), OMCs carried out a nationwide additional intensive testing covering the entire EBMS supply chain."The findings reaffirm that fuel quality remains consistently well within prescribed limits. Contrary to certain assertions being made, based on extensive random testing through scientifically designed tests, the evidence shows that there is no cause for any alarm on account of fuel contamination," according to an official statement.The statement further said that OMCs would like to reassure all our esteemed customers that we treat fuel quality as a matter of highest priority and any issue that could potentially affect the vehicle performance or consumer confidence is addressed promptly through scientific investigation and corrective action.OMCs have further strengthened surveillance by conducting water-ingress and density tests 8-12 times daily at every retail outlet.Mobile fuel quality testing laboratories have also been deployed across locations, while test results are being independently validated through fuel laboratories to ensure the highest standards of quality assurance."These multipronged stepped-up testing protocols across the supply chain has validated our highest fuel quality standards," said the statement.Moreover, over 100 additional randomly selected petrol samples tested across various refineries confirm that chloride content remains consistently low, with all samples reported at or below the 1 ppm.This reflects the continued effectiveness of quality checks built into India's robust refining and dispatch process, said the statement.(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)