India's SIAM reaffirms support for E20 fuel after withdrawing contamination concerns

The Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) withdrew a letter it had sent to the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG) that flagged possible contamination in E20 ethanol‑blended petrol. SIAM said the communication was part of routine technical deliberations and that several quoted figures on chloride and sulphur levels required further authentication through extensive data collection and OEM consultation.

SIAM reiterated its full backing of the government’s E20 blending programme, noting that fuel quality in India is monitored under a strict regulatory framework. More than 150 parameters are tested by oil marketing companies (OMCs), with water‑ingress checks performed 8‑12 times daily at over 87,000 retail outlets. The ministry has set a 3 ppm limit for chloride and sulphur in the ethanol blend, and only two cases of chloride contamination have been detected so far, prompting immediate suspension of sales at the affected pumps.

Both SIAM and MoPNG emphasized that there is no cause for consumer concern and that the existing safeguards have been in place for years, supporting India’s energy‑security goals.