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Mixing biofuels with petrol will become compulsory

20/07/2011

Under the would-be regulations, by early 2012, all businesses trading in petrol and oil are expected to sell petrol mixed with biofuels, specifically ethanol, at the initial ratio of 5% (petrol E5), instead of the conventional one. Now PV Oil under the Vietnam National Oil and Gas Group (Petro Vietnam) is having

According to Mr. Nguyen Phu Cuong, Deputy Director of the Department of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, to implement the project of developing biofuels, which was approved by the Prime Minister in 2007, the Ministry of Industry and Commerce is drawing up regulations on a roadmap of compulsory use of biofuels to be submitted to the Prime Minister for approval.

Under the would-be regulations, by early 2012, all businesses trading in petrol and oil are expected to sell petrol mixed with biofuels, specifically ethanol, at the initial ratio of 5% (petrol E5), instead of the conventional one. Now PV Oil under the Vietnam National Oil and Gas Group (Petro Vietnam) is having.

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Petrol E5 on sale

Mr. Phan Dang Tuat, Head of the Institute of Industrial Strategy - Policy, the agency in charge of drawing the regulations, said it would be quite possible to implement the mandatory use of biofuels at the ratio of 5% by the early 2012 and of 10% by the last six months of 2012. According to Mr. Tuat, since it was hard to meet the rapid growth in demand of petrol and oil in Vietnam, the use of biofuels would help reduce the cost burden.

So far there have been only 38 filling stations run by PV Oil and Petec selling E5. However, the development of such filling stations has been rather fast. Just in the first five months of 2011, PV Oil opened 20 stalls selling petrol E5 besides those selling conventional petrol. According to Mr. Phan Dang Tuat, biofuels have been used widely in the world because they reduce pollution, cost less and do not require engine conversion.

By An Nguyen