The PetrolPlaza audio version is presented to you by UNITI expo, the leading retail petroleum and car wash trade fair in Europe.

Vietnam introduces E5 biofuel to filling stations

Fuel stations in Ho Chi Minh City will gradually replace 92-octane gasoline (A92) with E5 in accordance with a government program. Ten out of 19 fuel companies in the city are ready and the biofuel will become available in all of its 24 districts before the end of the year.



Last update:

The HCMC Department of Trade Deputy Director Le Ngoc Dao said several businesses recently began selling E5 and consumers have been receptive. Dao said that around 90 percent of filling stations in HCMC were ready to provide the new fuel. "New stations will have to commit to selling E5 in order to obtain a license to operate,” the official said.

Vu Kien Chinh, vice chairman of Vietnam’s Bio-fuel Association, estimated ethanol demand in seven localities to be between 350,000 tons and 500,000 tons nationwide. Chinh believes Vietnam can meet those demands domestically.

Dang Duy Quan, deputy general director of Petrolimex, the country’s biggest importer and trader of oil products, said they began preparing for the switch last year. Inspectors throughout the city will gather and test samples of the fuel every month.

Filling station equipment will be inspected every six months to prevent fraud. The stations will also have cameras and display hotlines if customers want to complain. Lab experiments conducted by the Hanoi University of Technology found E5 does no harm to vehicle engines and does a better job at maintaining them. They found vehicles that use E5 accelerate faster and emit fewer hydrocarbons than those powered by A92.

Discuss