From next November, petrol vehicles in Colombia will burn a mix of 10% alcohol added to both ‘regular’ (88 RON) and ‘extra’ (92 RON) fuel.
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The move, signed into national law in 2001, will be implemented in the country’s southwest area and ‘Coffee Zone’ petrol stations, as a first step, affecting about 450,000 vehicles.
The ethanol additive comes from the local sugar industry, mainly in the Cauca river valley. It will be mixed in a 10% proportion by national petroleum company Ecopetrol and the petrol will be distributed by Chevron Texaco, ExxonMobil and Terpel. It is estimated that distributors will deliver 300,000 to 400,000 litres a day.
The mixture will arrive in capital city Bogotá next year, when full ethanol production reaches a million litres a day.
It is now five years since compressed natural gas – CNG was available nationwide. In this time, in Bogotá alone, over 75,000 vehicles have been converted, saving 60% over the cost of running on petrol.
Juan Vargas
