OMCs ready to supply Euro-VI fuel to improve Delhi's air quality: IOC

The Euro-VI grade petrol and diesel will be supplied to the national capital by three oil PSUs from their refineries at Mathura, Bina and Bhatinda from April to help it fight the alarming levels of air pollution.

"We will be able to meet the requirement of Delhi from April 1," IOC Chairman Sanjiv Singh said here on Wednesday.

"We will have to tweak the fuel production slate to produce BS-VI (equivalent to fuel meeting Euro-VI emission norm), he added.

The nation's biggest oil firm, IOC will source the fuel from its Mathura refinery, while Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd (HPCL) will do so from its joint venture refinery at Bhatinda. Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd (BPCL) supply the fuel from its Bina refinery.

"Meeting Delhi's requirement of BS-VI grade petrol and diesel will not be a problem," Singh said.

He added however that meeting the requirement of the National Capital Region (NCR) will be a challenge as it consumes about 10 per cent of the nation's fuel.

India had in 2015 decided to leapfrog to Euro-VI emission norm compliant petrol and diesel from April 2020, from the Euro-IV grade at present.

While the deadline for the rest of the country stands, for Delhi, which is choking on thick toxic smog, the deadline for introduction of BS-VI - equivalent to Euro-VI grade, was last week preponed to April 2018.

Euro-VI grade fuel contains 10 parts per million (ppm) of sulphur as against 50 ppm in Euro-IV fuels.

Delhi consumed 906,000 tonne petrol and 1.26 million tonne diesel in 2016-17, Singh said.

Oil firms have been asked to examine the possibility of the introduction of BS-VI auto fuels in the entire NCR, which includes adjoining cities of Ghaziabad, Noida, Gurgaon and Faridabad, from April 1, 2019.

In all likelihood, according to some industry players, supplies in the NCR may not begin by 2019.

The BS-IV emission norm was introduced across the country from April 1, 2017.

Oil refineries will need to invest Rs 28,000 crore in upgrading petrol and diesel quality to meet cleaner fuel specifications by 2020.

According to IOC, for petrol engines, one of the most critical specification is Research Octane No. (RON), which has improved from 88 in BS-II to 91. It is at par with regular 91 octane gasoline (petrol) required for Euro VI emission norms.

Sulphur specification for petrol and diesel will be reduced 50 times for a level of 500 ppm for BS-II fuel to 10 ppm in BS-VI.

Previously, the fuels meeting EuroIV or Bharat Stage (BS)IV specifications were to be supplied throughout the country by April 2017 and BSV or EuroV grade fuel by April 1, 2020.

But now the government plans to switch over directly from BSIV to BSVI auto fuels.

Oil refineries had previously upgraded technology and invested over Rs 55,000 crore for production and supply of BSIII/IV fuels.