E5 biofuel will be widely used.

(Baonghean) - According to the Government's roadmap, by December 1, 2015, Nghe An will apply the synchronous sale of E5 bio-fuel. Recently, there have been a number of pioneering enterprises supplying this new type of fuel. This is a fuel source that is assessed to be of good quality with outstanding ability in environmental protection.

In Dien Chau Town and Hoang Mai Town, E5 gasoline has been sold to consumers by the Hanoi Petroleum Joint Stock Company. Although the price of E5 gasoline is equal to A92 gasoline and is recommended to have many benefits, many people are not used to it and still choose to use traditional A92 and A95 gasoline. Therefore, the business unit has only installed 1 E5 gasoline pump at the 2 locations mentioned above.

Mr. Tran Van Luong in Dien Hanh Commune - Dien Chau said: "I have heard about E5 bio-fuel sold in Dien Chau Town, but I have been using A92 gasoline for motorbikes for a long time, and have not tried the new gasoline. If the new gasoline is cheaper than A92 gasoline and there are many stores selling E5 gasoline in the area, I will switch to using it..." Like Mr. Luong, many people are still hesitant and have not used E5 gasoline.

Hung Binh petrol retail store – Vinh city serves customers.

Although the propaganda work on the positive effects of E5 gasoline has been strengthened by industries and enterprises, many people are not interested in using it. That has "made it difficult" for pioneering enterprises investing in bio-fuel business in Dien Chau Town and Hoang Mai Town. At the E5 gasoline store in Hoang Mai Town, on average, only 5,000 liters are sold each month and for more than a month now, the sale of this type of gasoline has been temporarily suspended because the pump is damaged. Also at the E5 gasoline store in Dien Chau Town, sales volume is very low, only 3,000 - 4,000 liters are sold each month.

Currently, E5 gasoline and A92 gasoline have the same price (20,250 VND/liter and in Nghe An (region 2) it is 20,650 VND/liter). Meanwhile, in Nghe An, there are too few stores selling E5 gasoline and such a price is not really attractive, encouraging consumers to use the new bio-fuel. Ms. Ho Thi Ha - Deputy Head of Trade Management Department - Department of Industry and Trade said: “The widespread use of E5 gasoline in the market aims to reduce environmental pollution. To effectively implement this policy, the Department of Industry and Trade has notified and guided key petroleum units and petroleum businesses in the province to respond and develop plans and strategies for E5 gasoline trading in accordance with the roadmap prescribed by the Government. Along with that, the Department of Industry and Trade coordinates with media agencies to strengthen propaganda and mobilize people to use biofuel. However, a current difficulty is that in our province there are up to 632 gasoline stores, if they switch to E5 gasoline trading, a large investment will be needed to meet the conditions for trading biofuel. Therefore, there should be appropriate policies for businesses to invest in the conversion, encouraging consumers…”.

According to the roadmap approved by the Prime Minister, from December 1, 2014, E5 gasoline will be used to replace traditional fuels on road vehicles in 7 major provinces and cities (including Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hai Phong, Da Nang, Can Tho, Quang Ngai and Ba Ria - Vung Tau) and will be officially used nationwide from December 1, 2015. Accordingly, Nghe An province will begin selling E5 gasoline throughout the province. Nghe An Petroleum Company is the leading enterprise in implementing the sale of E5 gasoline. Currently, the unit has 70 gasoline stores across the province and retails more than 70,000 liters of gasoline each day, including at Hong Phong gasoline store - City. Vinh sells more than 20,000 liters/day... In the coming time, the conversion and expansion of bio-fuel business requires investment to install modern equipment and technology to serve the bio-fuel business. Due to the large area and many petrol stations, Nghe An Petroleum Company will have to invest a large amount of capital to install E5 bio-fuel blending equipment and tanks at the depot, then supply bio-fuel to stores, agents... One of the difficulties that leads to many businesses not being interested in investing in the bio-fuel store system is the investment cost to convert to selling E5 petrol...

Through discussion, Mr. Cao Viet Dong - Head of Sales Department of Nghe An Petroleum Company said: "Vietnam Petroleum Group has directed its member units to develop a plan to implement the sale of E5 bio-fuel and Nghe An Petroleum Company is currently planning to implement and according to the roadmap by December 1, 2015, the enterprise will deploy the sale of bio-fuel in Nghe An. Hopefully, with the roadmap to widely switch to using this new source of gasoline, it will contribute to improving the environment...".

Article and photos:Hoang Vinh