Deon Rose, Staff Reporter

The Government is hoping to replace 10 per cent of local gasolene with ethanol by year-end, following the success of its pilot project.

Last year, the Government began a six-month pilot project with 70 government vehicles, which used Petrojam-produced ethanol instead of imported MTBE as the fuel enhancer.

Ruth Potopsingh, group managing director of the Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica (PCJ), said the results of the pilot project would be made public soon but said the major findings showed that there were no mechanical or technical problems with the introduction of 10 per cent ethanol in motor vehicles.

"We are not yet ready for a national roll-out, the minister will make such announcement," she told journalists shortly after addressing the Rotary Club of Kingston at the Jamaica Pegasus hotel yesterday.

"But from a technical point of view, we need to put in place some storage as well as we need to get some equipment. We need to broaden our stakeholder participation and information before we introduce E-10 to the Jamaican public," she explained.

Dr. Potopsingh said a roll-out of the national project could cost some J$3 million.

Save foreign exchange

The introduction of ethanol could potentially save the country up to US$35 million (J$2.3 billion) per year in foreign exchange.

"I feel the introduction of ethanol in our gasolene would mean a significant reduction in the oil bill," she said. "In that we will be replacing 10 per cent of our oil with ethanol. Also there are several environmental benefits."

She explained that the additive MTBE, which is currently used in gasolene, will be phased out worldwide.

"So we are going to reach a stage in Jamaica, like the rest of the world, that is not going to be permitted to use MTBE," she said.

The PCJ Group managing director said the introduction of ethanol could, however, be enhanced with an improved sugar industry which incorporates the production of ethanol.

"Production of ethanol from sugar cane has been found scientifically, to be the most efficient in that you use the bagasse from sugar cane to provide fuel. The waste that is generated, like waste water from the production process, can be used for irrigating the cane field, so you have a closed cycle," she said.