Petrolimex to pilot E10 biofuel trading from August 1, 2025

The “double” benefits of biofuel

The Ministry of Industry and Trade is consulting to submit to the Government a roadmap for using E10 gasoline, expected to be implemented from January 1, 2026, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, fulfilling the Government's commitment to bring net emissions to 0 (Net Zero) by 2050.

According to regulations in QCVN 01:2022/BKHCN on gasoline, diesel fuel and biofuel, E10 gasoline is a finished gasoline product mixed from mineral gasoline with bioethanol at a ratio of 9 - 10% by volume.

Not only contributing to reducing dependence on fossil fuels, E10 gasoline also has outstanding advantages in engine operation and environmental protection.

According to domestic and international studies, Ethanol bioethanol has a high oxygen content, which helps improve the combustion process of the fuel mixture. Therefore, E10 gasoline can help reduce 20% of CO and HC emissions compared to traditional mineral gasoline, which means reducing the risk of air pollution and the greenhouse effect - one of the main causes of global climate change.

In addition, E10 gasoline is also considered an engine-friendly fuel. Ethanol has a high Octane value (over 100), when mixed with mineral gasoline, it will help increase the Octane value of E10 gasoline, thereby creating conditions for the combustion process in the combustion chamber to take place more evenly, thoroughly and stably, increasing efficiency and limiting the phenomenon of premature detonation - a cause of damage to the engine.

Research results from the State-level project and the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) both confirm that E10 gasoline is compatible with current gasoline engines, including older generation engines.

More than 60 countries in the world have commonly used E10 gasoline; many countries and territories, such as the US and Europe, have enacted laws requiring the use of fuels that blend gasoline with pure biofuel. Since 2018, many countries in the region such as China and the Philippines have completely switched to using E10 biofuel while mineral gasoline is only used for blending, the rest is banned from retail sale at gas stations.

At the recent 6-month review conference on the situation of petroleum supply to the market and the direction and tasks for the last 6 months of 2025, the Ministry of Industry and Trade strongly directed the increase of the use of bio-fuel, especially E10 gasoline, to gradually replace mineral gasoline. The transition to using E10 gasoline is an important step in the roadmap to implement emissions according to the Government's commitment.

Green transition policy alignment

According to the strategic goal by 2035, Petrolimex strives to become the leading energy group in Vietnam in green, clean, high-quality, environmentally friendly energy products based on 4.0 technology and comprehensive digital transformation. Therefore, biofuel business is an important part of Petrolimex's energy transformation orientation. Currently, Petrolimex is upgrading retail infrastructure and expanding the fuel ethanol blending network, while strengthening coordination with domestic and foreign ethanol production units to ensure stable supply, serving sustainable biofuel business activities.

Along with biofuel business, Petrolimex is researching new energy solutions such as hydrogen and some types of renewable fuels, in line with the energy transition trend and emission reduction requirements. Within the framework of strategic cooperation with the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Petrolimex has set a goal of building an energy transition roadmap in line with Vietnam’s commitment to reduce net emissions to “zero”.

Mr. Tran Ngoc Nam - Member of the Board of Directors, Deputy General Director of Petrolimex said that Petrolimex plans to pilot the sale of E10 bio-fuel from August 1 at petrol stations in the Petrolimex system in Ho Chi Minh City before the merger. The goal is to evaluate market response, consumer behavior and the technical response level of the distribution system, thereby helping Petrolimex successfully deploy it throughout the system.

Mr. Tran Ngoc Nam also said that the E10 gasoline business requires serious preparation of infrastructure, technology, specialized tanks for fuel alcohol and close coordination from oil refineries. Therefore, Petrolimex proposed that the Ministry of Industry and Trade soon issue instructions on the implementation progress, so that key traders can proactively invest and convert technical systems, and at the same time propose to adjust some current technical standards to suit the mineral gasoline sources on the international market and similar to the technical standard requirements in the region.

According to Mr. Bui Ngoc Bao, Chairman of the Vietnam Petroleum Association, the implementation of biofuel use nationwide needs a specific roadmap with a minimum preparation time of 6 months for businesses to implement. In addition, it is necessary to soon announce the draft decision to replace Decision 53 of the Prime Minister to collect public opinions, focusing on amending a number of inappropriate regulations related to the petroleum market and product quality, on petroleum business management, standards for E10 gasoline, etc.

To effectively implement the roadmap for blending and using E10 gasoline as planned, the Ministry of Industry and Trade has requested relevant units to develop synchronous groups of solutions such as: Supporting domestic Ethanol prices to stabilize supply and reduce the cost of E5/E10 gasoline; perfecting the system of standards and technical regulations for E10 gasoline; strengthening community communication; encouraging businesses to expand the biofuel distribution system, especially in rural, mountainous and island areas...

Previously, on July 5, the Government Office issued Official Dispatch No. 6246/VPCP-CN informing Deputy Prime Minister Bui Thanh Son that he agreed with Document No. 4594/TTr-BCT of the Ministry of Industry and Trade on the development of a decision to replace Decision No. 53/2012/QD-TTg dated November 22, 2012 on promulgating a roadmap for applying the blending ratio of biofuels with traditional fuels.

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Source: https://baolaocai.vn/petrolimex-thi-diem-kinh-doanh-xang-sinh-hoc-e10-tu-ngay-182025-post649523.html