Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) test for Moisture & Chloride presence in E20 Petrol: Claims of 500 ppm Chloride and presence of moisture not validated

Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) test for Moisture & Chloride presence in E20 Petrol:

Claims of 500 ppm Chloride and presence of moisture not validated प्रव तथ: 08 AUG 2026 11:20AM by PIB Delhi 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.

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.

Government of India has prescribed a stringent chloride specification for ethanol used in petrol blending and has instituted a high-frequency monitoring mechanism to ensure compliance across the entire supply chain. Chloride monitoring is being done at multiple point of supply chain including refineries, distilleries, depots/terminals and retail outlets nationwide, confirming that quality is being consistently maintained throughout the supply chain.

In addition to the already established quality assurance protocols, Oil Marketing Companies 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.

1. MS from Refinery: Actual Chloride levels in Petrol is well within 1 ppm 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.

2. Pure Ethanol ex distillery:Ethanol supplied by distilleries—the principal blending component—has also consistently recorded chloride levels significantly below the prescribed specification, reflecting robust quality control mechanisms at the production stage.

A dedicated task force having members of OMCs & CHT has checked ethanol samples from 80 distilleries across the country in last 10 days and all samples had Chloride content less than 3 ppm.

3. Ethanol Blended MS (E20) distributed via OMCs’ Marketing Infrastructure:

Depots / Tank Trucks: Ethanol and E20 samples tested at depots and terminals continue to meet prescribed chloride limits, with regular monitoring at this stage ensuring that quality is maintained as fuel moves through the storage and distribution network. More than 80 samples across the nation collected from various OMC terminals showed chloride content below 3 ppm.

Retail Outlets (RO): Under the intensified monitoring programme of more than 1000 samples, so far 160 test reports have been analysed for chloride content in last few days and levels are in range of 0-3 ppm contrary to the claims of several hundred ppm. The surveillance system identified only four isolated instances where elevated chloride levels were detected. These were suspended immediately, followed by detailed root-cause analysis and implementation of appropriate corrective measures before restoration of supplies.

4. Water ingress testing:

About 90,000 ROs have commenced mandatory inspection and monitoring of underground storage tanks.

The underground tanks at ROs are being inspected 8–12 times every day and have not revealed any water ingress so far.

Tabulated summary of the above tests are available on the official website of CHT @ www.cht.gov.in.

This would be updated as and when more test results are available.

Oil Marketing Companies wish to reassure consumers that fuel quality remains their highest priority.

Quality surveillance is undertaken continuously across the supply chain, and wherever any deviation is detected, prompt and decisive corrective action is initiated.

With the above, 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.

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