The Department of Energy (DOE) announced that the biofuel law will push through despite questions raised by oil companies with regards to bioethanol being corrosive to gasoline vehicles.
Earlier this week, Petron CEO & Chairman, Ramon S. Ang raised an alarm that without proper guidelines in the processing, bioethanol mixed into the fuel could have water in them which could lead to corrosion of the fuel system and the subsequent blame would fall on the oil retailers. This necessitated the DOE to call a stakeholders meeting.
In line with this Secretary Angelo Reyes of the DOE announced that his department’s information campaign on the use of bioethanol will take a more aggressive tac in order to avoid possible panic from motorists.
On the side of the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines Inc. (CAMPI), Homer Maranan said that oil companies must be issued clear rules on the use of ethanol blend.
There should be clear guidelines on good housekeeping from refinery blending point up to the pumps. There should be regular monitoring of quantity compliance of biofuels and maintenance of the blending areas. So if there may be other reasons for the corrosion, it might not be traced on biofuels
DOE meanwhile reiterated that they had set standards for E-10 (10% bioethanol in gasoline) fuels that are internationally accepted. In the meantime, they are also drafting a circular which will set clearer parameters on the bioethanol blending in fuels. They also pointed out that there could be other reasons why engines may corrode and that could be because of poor maintenance.
Small Oil retailer, Seaoil, has meanwhile requested CAMPI to come up with a list of engine parts which could be affected by the use of alternative fuels so that the motorists can be informed what to check in their cars for bioethanol compatibility.
The Philippines is going full swing with its Biofuel Law which mandates that a certain percentage of biofuels be mixed in with fuel sold at the pump.
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Category: Misc, Biodiesel, Bioethanol
