Chandika Prasad Bhatta, Executive Director of Nepal Oil Corporation, said that the government had decided to blend 20 percent ethanol in 2060 BS and that the approval of the order to bring it into use by the Council of Ministers is positive.
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Nepal Oil Corporation is set to implement the order regarding the use of ethanol in petrol approved by the Council of Ministers. The Council of Ministers meeting held on 11 Poush had decided to approve the Order, 2082, regarding the use of ethanol in petrol. With this, the way has been opened for the use of ethanol in petrol.
The government decided to mix 20 percent ethanol in 2060 BS and now the approval of the order to use it by the Council of Ministers is positive, said Chandika Prasad Bhatta, Executive Director of Nepal Oil Corporation. ‘We were not able to implement this for a long time,’ he said, ‘The order to mix ethanol in petrol was approved some time ago, now we will move forward with the implementation.’
Experts claim that if ethanol is used while we are currently 100 percent dependent on imported petrol, it will replace imports and increase foreign exchange reserves. Ethanol is bioenergy. ‘It is produced from various agricultural raw materials, ethanol is also made from molasses produced while making sugar from sugarcane,’ Bhatta said, ‘Ethanol is also made from food grains, now ethanol can be prepared by farming and processing the potential raw material simaltarul.’
Ethanol with a purity of 99.5 percent is added to petrol. ‘Although ethanol is a new topic for Nepal, its use is increasing in other countries where gasoline is produced,’ he said. India has introduced 20 percent ethanol-blended gasoline for sale and distribution.
‘Look at Brazil, America, and Japan, it seems that up to 70/80 percent ethanol is used there,’ Bhatta said. ‘If more than 20 percent ethanol is added to gasoline, the vehicle engine should also be changed accordingly. But our goal is to start with 10 percent.’
The issue of ethanol quality has been mentioned in the order approved by the Council of Ministers. ‘The Nepal Department of Standards and Metrology will determine its quality standards,’ Bhatta said. ‘We will call on the manufacturer through a public notice demanding that the quality specified in the standards be met.’
Bhatta said that based on this, the decision on the percentage of ethanol to be mixed in gasoline will be made. ‘Currently, it is said that at least 10 percent ethanol will be blended in petrol. The sugar mills that are currently available produce 40-50 thousand liters of ethanol per day,’ he said. ‘However, 200,000 liters of ethanol per day are required for 10 percent.’
Therefore, it will take some time to reach 10 percent, he said. ‘We will blend 2, 3 to 5 percent to reach 10 percent. This will benefit the environment, increase the octane number of petrol, which will increase the efficiency of the engine and fuel.’
‘Since the raw materials for making ethanol are produced by farmers, their income will increase. The industrialists will then have to set up a plant worth at least Rs 200 crore to prepare the raw materials that the industrialists buy from farmers,’ Bhatta said. ‘Which will bring in new investment and create jobs.’ He said that this will not affect the vehicles.
Bhatta says that there is no need to invest too much in this. ‘If the producer provides the required ethanol, its use can be started from the end of the current fiscal year,’ said Bhatta. ‘A blending system needs to be developed for this. For this, there should be a storage tank, a pipeline should be laid and the tank should be mixed online through pumps, which should be filled with petrol on one side and ethanol on the other. But if you get two lakh liters of ethanol, there is no problem in starting with 10 percent.’
Bhatta said that if you get only one lakh, branding will be done at 5 percent. ‘We will prepare the percentage based on how much the industrialists can give,’ said Bhatta. ‘The price of petrol mixed with ethanol is lower. The Ministry of Finance, Industry, Commerce and Supplies, National Planning Commission and Nepal Oil Corporation are involved in determining the price.’
Shashikant Agrawal, President of the Nepal Sugar Industry Association, said that the government’s decision after 25 years of continuous efforts is positive. "But the procedure has not been finalized. It would have been easier if the procedure had been finalized and the decision had been made," he said. "But this is a very good decision for the country. It shouldn't take long to decide on a good thing."
