Philippines should stop importing ethanol for purpose of blending into gasoline

**ghosthunter** · July 27th, 2010 06:15 PM

We have E10 gasoline for the purpose of energy independence.

The concept is the Philippines will produce it's own supply of ethanol to be blended into gasoline. This is supposedly to cut down our reliance of foreign oil and minimize the use of our foreign currency reserves as well.

The belief that ethanol is a "green" fuel is secondary.

In 2010, the clean air law required ALL gasoline sold to be E10 or 10% ethanol blended into gasoline.

Currently, local ethanol producers cannot fill the demand. The government's reaction is to import ethanol from abroad to "temporarily" fill the demand.

Why not just suspend the E10 portion of the clean air act? Or make it "voluntary" for the oil firms to follow?

The fact that the country is importing ethanol is defeating the reasons behind the law, which is to become energy self-sufficient and to conserve our foreign currency reserves.

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Personally I am against the use of E10 gasoline for the following reasons:

-ethanol has a lower energy content per volume than gasoline. This results in reduced fuel mileage, requiring the cars to burn more fuel for the same distance.

-ethanol blended gasoline will become stale or "expires" much quicker in the fuel of the vehicle. In my personal experience, it takes only four weeks for a talk of E10 gasoline to become un-usable. Regular gasoline can remain good in the fuel tank for more than four or five months.

-ethanol blended gasoline is not compatible to older engines, especially those engines with carburators. Even more modern EFI engines may not be compatible because of ethanol reacting with certain parts of the fuel system resulting in cracks and leaks. Undetected, this may cause fires and harm to the vehicle occupants.

**uls** · July 27th, 2010 06:27 PM

the biofuels law is stupid

the intention is to reduce fuel imports

but local ethanol producers can't meet demand

so oil companies, required by law to use 10% ethanol, have to import ethanol to comply with that law

DUH

Petron will be importing ethanol coz its local ethanol supplier (SCBI) can't produce enough ethanol

other oil companies like Shell import ethanol

Pilipinas Shell imports ethanol from Brazil

**Type 100** · July 27th, 2010 06:28 PM

Agreed.

Like most things that are "eco-friendly" it's really being pushed because there's money to be made.

**uls** · July 27th, 2010 06:41 PM

ang mahirap sa mga bureaucrats they have no real world experience in anything

on paper, being green and being energy independent sounds good

so implement sila agad

pero hindi nila iniintindi ang mga details

ok, sige... to reduce fuel imports, gawa sila batas that requires oil companies to use ethanol in their products

oil companies will buy ethanol from local producers

instant reduction in fuel imports diba?

but one important detail overlooked by the bureaucrats: local ethanol producers cannot produce enough ethanol to meet local demand

so oil companies have to import ethanol

very good

---

like those CNG buses

the intention is good

NG = less pollution

govt encourages investors to import CNG buses

govt tells investors oil companies will supply CNG

overlooked detail: oil companies won't bother supplying CNG to a tiny number of CNG buses

the quantity is too small that investing in infrastructure is NOT worth it

stupid bureaucrats

**isa1023** · July 27th, 2010 06:45 PM

Can we, as motorists, do something about it?

**renzo_d10** · July 27th, 2010 06:50 PM

Agree.

Used to have a better mileage when I still had regular gasoline. But when I started using e10, it became low and bad. And the fear of my engine would break soon enough because of continuous use of e10 is still there. :blue:

**uls** · July 27th, 2010 06:55 PM

http://www.argusmedia.com/pages/News...14338&menu=yes

Singapore, 14 July (Argus) — Philippine refiner Petron may consider jointly importing ethanol with other oil companies to fulfil the country's ethanol mandate as domestic supplies remain inadequate.

Ethanol output from the Philippines will only reach 80mn l/yr (1,400 b/d) mainly from San Carlos BioEnergy and Roxol Energy. A further 50mn l/yr will come from Green Futures' plant when it begins commercial operations next year.

But this will still leave the country with a shortfall of around 90mn l/yr to satisfy the blending mandate, a senior Petron official said.

Nearly all of the Philippines' imported ethanol comes from Brazil, Petron said.

Discussions are continuing to buy imported ethanol, mainly fuel grade anhydrous from Thailand, the official said.

Thailand has ample availability of anhydrous ethanol as only 60-70pc of the country's ethanol capacity is utilised. Thailand has an excess of around 4mn t of cassava each year, which can be converted to 1.8mn l/d of ethanol, Bangkok-based traders said. Cassava feedstock accounts for a third of Thai ethanol production.

hahaha

kaya wala ako bilib sa mga govt "planners" na yan

what are those people anyway?

economists? academics? university professors?

people with doctorates and PhDs?

they don't have any real world experience

they have never run businesses in their lives

not even a sari sari store

and they're supposed to make plans for the real world?

that above is an example of their real world planning

FAIL

**jave** · July 27th, 2010 07:12 PM

When does 'common sense' and 'government' mix?

In this country, never.

There's your answer.

**vito corleone** · July 27th, 2010 09:09 PM

stupid people in the gov't--and they won't admit it

napansin ko rin na bumaba ang fuel efficiency ng lancer ko mula noong wala nang mabiling 100% petrol. . .dati naglalaro pa sa pagitan ng 8 and 9 km/li, ngayon hindi man lang umabot ng 7 km/li

**nickriingen** · July 28th, 2010 11:39 AM

Originally Posted by uls

http://www.argusmedia.com/pages/News...14338&menu=yes

hahaha

kaya wala ako bilib sa mga govt "planners" na yan

what are those people anyway?

economists? academics? university professors?

people with doctorates and PhDs?

they don't have any real world experience

they have never run businesses in their lives

not even a sari sari store

and they're supposed to make plans for the real world?

that above is an example of their real world planning

FAIL

The trouble with bureaucrats appointed by the past administration is that they know nothing about their jobs. Take for example DOE, DOTC, DPWH. They are mostly retired and puppet generals appointed as Secretary, Undersecretary, Assistant Secretary. Hope the new administration will avoid this mistake.