Philippine oil companies believe that the country should suspend its mandate for 10% ethanol in gasoline during the Covid-19 crisis, according to media reports.
The Philippines’ energy secretary has said that the country should use the bioethanol it produces in the making of ethyl alcohol for disinfection and use 100% gasoline now that the price of oil has tumbled. The Independent Philippine Petroleum Companies Association (IPPCA) supports this position, BusinessWorld reported.
Citing traders, Argus Media, said that a decision to suspend the blending mandate would require legislative changes. At the same time, moving from fuel-grade ethanol to ethyl alcohol would also be a challenge to suppliers.
Last year the Philippines produced 296 million litres of ethanol, meeting around half of its 10% blending needs and used US ethanol for the other half, according to the news source.
Provided by Renewables Now exclusively for Essentica.
Image by Jernej Furman licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Flickr.
