E100 storage column is the blended fuel for E10 bio-fuel at Nha Be Petroleum Depot, Ho Chi Minh City - Photo: P.DUY
In particular, the use of E10 gasoline will be deployed simultaneously and mandatory for vehicles using fossil fuels.
According to the Department of Innovation - Green Transformation and Industrial Promotion ( Ministry of Industry and Trade ), the use of biofuel is a policy put forward by the Government to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, protect the environment as well as increase the use of biofuel sources to replace fossil fuels that are gradually depleting.
Although supporting the conversion proposed by the ministry, many businesses said that the investment cost for conversion is very large, while the policy is unclear about distribution, consumption and specific conversion roadmap, causing confusion for businesses.
Building a roadmap for blending and trading biofuel
Information from the Ministry of Industry and Trade said that it has basically completed the review, assessment and analysis of the implementation of Decision 53/2012 on the roadmap for applying the blending ratio of biofuels with traditional fuels issued by the Prime Minister .
In particular, the ministry has submitted a report to the Prime Minister asking for approval to develop a decision to replace Decision 53, proposing a new plan to replace the roadmap for using biofuels.
In order to soon promulgate and implement a roadmap for blending and using new biofuels, Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien assigned the Department of Innovation - Green Transformation and Industrial Promotion to coordinate with relevant units to request the Prime Minister's approval on building a roadmap for blending and using alternative biofuels in accordance with Decision 53, as well as quickly develop a new plan.
The Department of Domestic Market Management and Development is assigned to ensure the supply of base gasoline as well as ethanol (E100), coordinate with relevant units and associations to review and propose updates to technical regulations for gasoline and oil types.
In particular, manufacturing enterprises and business contacts must prepare facilities, equipment, and vehicles to be ready for production, mixing, transportation, and distribution of E10 biofuel nationwide, expected from January 1, 2026.
Previously, according to the Prime Minister's Decision 53 issued in 2012, from December 1, 2014, E5 bio-fuel was produced, mixed, and sold for use in road motor vehicles in several major localities such as Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hai Phong, Da Nang... before expanding nationwide from December 1, 2015.
With E10 gasoline, after being piloted in some localities from December 1, 2016, it will be applied nationwide from December 1, 2017.
However, after being introduced to the market since the beginning of 2018, E5RON92 gasoline has almost disappeared from the market, even though there was a period when the consumption rate of E5RON92 gasoline was up to 42%.
As for E10 bio-fuel, it has not been consumed yet, nearly 9 years behind the schedule set out in Decision 53! Therefore, with the plan proposed by the Ministry of Industry and Trade, expected to consume E10 gasoline from January 1, 2026, many petroleum businesses are urgently preparing.
Businesses are worried about running after transformation.
Talking to us, a leader of the Vietnam National Petroleum Group (Petrolimex) said that on August 1, Petrolimex is expected to test the sale of E10RON95-III gasoline in the Ho Chi Minh City market (according to the old boundaries, before July 1), completely replacing E5RON92, RON95-III, RON95-IV products.
Thus, it is expected that from August 1, Petrolimex will only trade E10RON95-III and RON95-V gasoline.
Up to now, Petrolimex has directed the Petroleum Company Region 2 to organize blending, testing and carry out related work to ensure the delivery of E10RON95-III to its affiliated gas stations in Ho Chi Minh City (old).
This pilot implementation, according to the group's representative, is to assess the technical impact, meet customer needs, and then expand to the entire system.
However, many businesses expressed concerns when implementing the conversion roadmap from January 1, 2026.
A major petroleum trader in Ho Chi Minh City said that if they completely switch to biofuels, businesses will have to invest in infrastructure systems, tanks, connecting pipelines... because the old infrastructure system does not meet the requirements for new products.
With huge investment costs, limited resources, and unclear policies on distribution, consumption, and specific conversion roadmap, it is very difficult for businesses to decide on investment and implementation.
Another key trader in the West also said that because the expected implementation time is early 2026, with less than 5 months left, businesses are facing many difficulties, especially investment costs.
Because to meet the regulations on biofuel distribution, businesses not only have to invest in mixing facilities with a cost of 7-10 billion VND for each station, but also have to invest in a chemical laboratory (product testing) with a cost of about 30 billion VND because businesses are not allowed to cooperate in using other units' testing laboratories.
"We are also unclear about the product distribution mechanism, pricing policies, sources of raw materials for mixing... so the implementation is very vague," he said.
Many petroleum distributors also expressed concern, saying that there is still no clear information about the roadmap for switching to biofuels, beyond the expected timeline of January 1, 2026.
"We do not know when the roadmap is applied, will mineral gasoline RON95 and E5RON92 continue to be traded or will only bio-fuel be distributed, what will the support policy be, and will investment costs be included in gasoline prices?...", a trader asked.
Reduce toxic emissions to the environment when using biofuel
According to research by Associate Professor Dr. Pham Huu Tuyen and Nguyen The Truc, Hanoi University of Science and Technology, countries around the world are facing three serious problems: high fuel prices, climate change and air pollution.
Therefore, the use of biofuels for transportation brings advantages in energy security, environmental pollution reduction and socio-economic development in rural areas. The two commonly used biofuels are bioethanol and biodiesel.
The US is a country with a fairly high rate of biofuel use, about 92% of demand and most cars use E10 biofuel; followed by Brazil, the European Union and Asia, Thailand has used E10 since 2002.
Research results show that with an ethanol ratio of less than 10% (E10 or less), biofuel helps increase engine capacity, reduce fuel consumption and especially significantly reduce toxic components in emissions such as HC and CO.
The vehicle operates stably, accelerates better, while engine durability and material compatibility with biofuel are equivalent to when using mineral gasoline.
Support biofuel, worry about quality
Damaged E5 biofuel pump at a gas station on Kha Van Can Street, Thu Duc Ward, Ho Chi Minh City - Photo: TRI DUC
Tuoi Tre's survey shows that many consumers strongly support the use of biofuel but are still concerned about its quality, and also want this product to have a price suitable for the majority of consumers.
As a person who travels hundreds of kilometers by motorbike every day, Mr. Nam (Ha Dong, Hanoi) said that because his vehicle is old, he uses E5RON92 gasoline because it is about 400 - 500 VND/liter cheaper than RON95 gasoline.
There was even a time when the price of biofuel was thousands of dong per liter lower than that of mineral gasoline, helping him significantly reduce his driving costs and save "every penny is worth every penny".
According to Mr. Nam, in the beginning, when using E5RON92 gasoline, he also encountered some "problems", such as the car suddenly "dying".
However, by consistently using this product and only using one type of gasoline, the machine operates stably, so although many people recommend using RON95 gasoline, he still prioritizes choosing biofuel to both save costs and be suitable for the old model of vehicle he is using.
Therefore, Mr. Nam believes that if E10 biofuel is introduced to the market, in addition to ensuring quality, there needs to be a more competitive price to encourage more workers to use it to save costs.
Selling biofuel throughout the entire gas station system will also help many people in need not have to struggle to find it, because most gas stations only prioritize selling RON95 gasoline.
Meanwhile, Ms. Huong (Ba Dinh, Hanoi) said that because she is using a new car, she only chooses RON95 gasoline to ensure it does not affect the engine.
According to Ms. Huong, although E5RON92 gasoline is cheaper than RON95 gasoline, she is not really assured about the quality, while the car manufacturer recommends using high-quality gasoline, so she is still not interested in using E5RON92 biofuel.
Therefore, according to Ms. Huong, if E10 is to be sold on the market, the base gasoline for blending must be RON95 gasoline, a high-quality gasoline line to ensure that it does not affect or harm machinery.
At the same time, the price of biofuel must also be appropriate, lower than the current price of RON95 gasoline, to encourage consumers to choose it.
Mr. Duc Anh, who specializes in transporting passengers by private car in Ho Chi Minh City, said that if both mineral gasoline and biofuel still exist on the market, he would still prioritize choosing mineral gasoline because his machines are used to using this type of gasoline and he feels more secure when he often has to transport passengers long distances.
If the market only has biofuel, authorities need to strictly control standards and quality to help consumers feel secure in using it.
"We hope the State will have policies to ensure the quality of biofuel for people to use with peace of mind, as well as reasonable prices to reduce costs and prices.
Using biofuel is a trend in many countries, but it is necessary to ensure consumer factors, then biofuel will become a reliable and secure choice for consumers," said Mr. Duc Anh.
NGOC AN
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/bat-buoc-dung-xang-e10-tu-ngay-1-1-2026-ky-1-doanh-nghiep-lo-tro-tay-khong-kip-2025071522392584.htm
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