SIAM Downplays Letter To Govt Citing Chloride-Related Concerns In E20 Petrol

In yet another conundrum over E20 blended petrol in India, the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) has publicly downplayed a letter it submitted to the government over fuel contamination. The industry body cited that the data shared in the letter still required further verification and authentication. The original letter, excerpts of which emerged in media reports, highlighted cases of premature wear and tear of engine parts in direct contact with E20 petrol due to high chloride content in the mix as well as cases of high moisture content in fuel samples.

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The Original Letter

While the original letter was never shared in the public domain, reports online cited excerpts from it saying that car manufacturers were reporting premature wear and replacement of engine parts in direct contact with fuel due to high chloride content in E20 petrol. The report cited chloride levels of up to 500mg/kg in fuel samples taken from vehicle fuel tanks and levels of up to 350mg/kg from petrol station samples.

Additionally, the letter also stated that some samples collected reported moisture content of over 10,000 mg/kg in some cases as against a permissible limit of 3,000 mg/kg. The letter cited a likely cause for high moisture content could be ageing petrol pump infrastructure, including storage tanks, piping and fuel transport vehicles.

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Petroleum Ministry Responds

The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG) were quick to respond to the reports. In a public statement issued via social media, the government body stated, “It is hereby clarified that fuel quality is monitored on a regular basis by Oil Marketing Companies. In addition to the advanced and elaborate testing protocols already in place, further checks have been instituted, including water ingress testing 8-12 times a day in over 87,000 outlets. Over 2000 samples have also been tested for chloride/sulphide.”

The ministry, however, did confirm cases of chloride contamination had been found in some cases.

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“Only 2 cases of chloride contamination have been found in the entire country till now, and sales from those pumps were suspended immediately,” the statement read.

SIAM Downplays Original Letter Citing Lack Of Data Authentication

Within hours of the reports being first published, SIAM issued a new public statement that essentially downplayed the original letter sent to the government. The industry body said that the “communication in question was part of a routine and ongoing technical deliberations” between stakeholders, industry bodies, oil marketing companies, carmakers and testing agencies.

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“Some numbers quoted in the communication need authentication through collection of elaborate data from various regions across the country followed by comprehensive consultation with our member OEMs,” the statement read.

The statement further stated SIAM’s backing for the government’s E20 fuel policy, which is “important from an energy security perspective.”