When the 10 per cent ethanol blended gaso-lene (E10) rolls out next Saturday, motorists who choose to use it are expected to pay at least $2 less for each litre compared with the regular 87 octane.

The E10 blend - so called because it comprises 10 per cent ethanol and 90 per cent gasolene - will first rollout in central and eastern parishes before moving to the rest of the country by next April.

"This will mark a pivotal moment in the history of independent Jamaica as for the very first time we will begin using what we have produced to fuel our motor vehicles," Clive Mullings, minister of energy, said yesterday during a press conference at Terra Nova Hotel in St Andrew.

Mullings said there were immense benefits to be derived from sugar-cane base ethanol.

"That which enslaved us will now be our tool of liberation from our energy dependence," Mullings said adding that sugarcane-based ethanol is seven times more efficient than that of corn.

Energy crisis

Jamaica has been caught in the worldwide energy crisis sparked by unstable oil prices.

According to Mullings, Jamaica has the capacity to produce enough ethanol to fuel motor vehicles and the E10 blend is just the first stage of the implementation.

The Ministry of Energy expects that by 2010, Jamaica will be able to produce some 70 million litres of ethanol from one million tonne of sugar cane.

Ruth Potopsingh, group mana-ging director of the Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica (PCJ), said the Bureau of Standards Jamaica and other institutions would monitor the quality of the gasolene.

Jamaica uses imported oil for up to 90 per cent of its energy needs.

Replacing 10 per cent of the gasolene content with cheaper, locally produced ethanol would also reduce the environmental implications.

The pilot project to test a blend of ethanol in gasolene suitable for Jamaica's road fleet was conducted in 2006 by Petrojam Limited. The study confirmed that most of Jamaica's fleet would operate efficiently on E10.

Phased plan

The E10 blend in 87 octane unleaded gasolene will be implemented on November 1.

Based on service-station readiness, it is expected that at the launch, approximately 100 service stations will provide this fuel.

By April 2009, E10 in both 87 and 90 octane unleaded gasolene will be available islandwide.

E10 will be mandated for use in Jamaica by May 2009

Methyl tertiary butyl ether, the petroleum-based octane enhancer in gasolene, will be completely phased out by May 2009.

Research shows that all vehicles manufactured after 1986 with a fuel- injection system can operate on E10. Pre-1993 models may need minor retrofits.

E10 at the service stations

Materials for storage and dispensing ethanol-blended fuels have to be upgraded or thoroughly cleaned before they can be used to store ethanol and ethanol-blended products.

In readiness for E10, all tanks in which ethanol will be stored must be thoroughly cleaned.

Because of its high oxygen content, ethanol will 'clean' the tank by stripping rust from the inside lining of the tank to contaminate the fuel.

Fibreglass tanks constructed after 1992 can be used to store ethanol.

In cleaning storage tanks, water must be completely removed. Sludge, rust, bacteria and sediment in the tank are contaminants and must be disposed of in a procedure prescribed by the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA).

In pumps and other apparatus used in the dispensing of E10, soft metals, including zinc, brass, lead and aluminium, should not be used; instead non-metallic corrosion-proof pipes should be used, while only stainless steel, black iron or bronze fittings and connectors for fuel-dispensing nozzles should be used.

Source: PCJ