MINISTER OF Energy Clive Mullings has re-emphasised that the E10 team has put in place the necessary systems to ensure quality assurance, and to maintain the integrity of the soon-to-be introduced E10 fuel.

"The assurances are there, we have the Petroleum Control Act, we have expanded our inspectorate and there is going to be random testing. There will also be filters at the pumps, 10-inch micron filters that are there, so that if there are any problems, it will shut down the system," he said in an interview, following an E10 meeting at the Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica (PCJ) in Kingston on Thursday. "We have done as best as possible, following the best practices internationally. We don't expect to have any problems."

Earlier in October, the Ministry of Energy, along with the PCJ and Petrojam, hosted a training seminar for haulage contractors, tanker drivers, service station dealers and marketing companies.

Comprehensive overview

At the seminar, participants were provided with a comprehensive overview of all aspects and perspectives associated with E10 and its expected impact on the gasolene industry and Jamaica.

Topics covered included the rationale behind the introduction of E10, the E10 quality, loading rack operations, tank, truck and haulage readiness, stewardship and regulatory measures, as well as proper loading, transportation and storage procedures.

Additionally, chief chemist, Petrojam Laboratory, Gladstone Ivey, detailed several quality procedures and tests which the E10 fuel will be subjected to, as well as the international product certification that is required for E10 and all other gasolene products, at each stage of the blending, loading, transporting, storing and dispensing of the fuel.

The E10, or 10 per cent ethanol blended in 90 per cent 87 octane, was introduced on a phased basis with a launch at the Petcom service station in Portmore.

Gasolene needs an octane enhancer to increase the power of the fuel. Currently, the octane enhancer in Jamaica's gasolene is the petroleum based MTBE (Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether).

However, as this additive will be phased out worldwide by 2010 for environmental reasons, Jamaica's switch to clean, benign ethanol as its octane enhancer will go into effect some two years ahead of this worldwide move.

As a show of confidence in the quality of the E10 fuel, Minister Mullings revealed that he and his staff would be using the fuel in their vehicles.

"Oh yes, absolutely," he said, when asked if he would be using E10.

- JIS