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Ethanol-blended petrol to be on sale in Hanoi
The Petrolchemical and Bio Fuel Joint Stock Company (PVB) said it will sell E5 ethanol blend petrol on a trial basis next week at two petrol stations in Hanoi .
The mixed petrol, with five percent of ethanol is priced slightly lower than conventional petrol types.
PVB General Director Vu Thanh Ha said that motor vehicles running on E5 ethanol-blended fuel can cut their fuel consumption by 2-3 percent and carbon dioxide emissions by 60-70 percent compared with normal petrol.
Several members of the Hanoi Taxi Association will use the imported bio-petrol in the trial period.
PVB has invested 80 million USD in building an ethanol production plant and developing a cassava and sugar cane growing zone in northern mountainous Phu Tho province to supply materials for the plan, which has an annual capacity of 100,000 cu.m and is expected to be completed by the end of this year. The company hopes to produce ethanol blend petrol by 2010.
Another plant, which will be built by the Vietnam Oil and Gas Corporation in central coastal Binh Dinh province, is expected to be operational one year after the plant in Phu Tho province. The two plants will consume around 400,000 tonnes of dried cassava each year.
However, Dr. Bui Van Ga, an experienced researcher on alternative fuels warned that Vietnam should ensure food security while seeking to increase the use of biofuel.
At present, more than 50 countries and territories worldwide are using bio-fuels. Seventy-five percent of 50 billion litres of ethanol produced in the world in 2006 were used as fuel.
VNA
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