FTI Proposes Government Elevate Ethanol to Strategic Fuel, Push E20 as Primary Gasoline
RegulationIndustryCommodity
The Federation of Thai Industries, or FTI, has submitted a policy recommendation to Ekkanat Promphan, Minister of Energy, to elevate ethanol to a strategic national fuel, shifting its role from merely a blending component in fuel to one of the key fuels for Thailand's energy transition. Mongkol Hengrojanasophon, Chairman of the FTI's Institute of Energy for Industry, stated that the first proposal is for the government to set a long-term direction for gasohol E20 as the primary gasoline fuel for compatible vehicles. The second proposal is to develop a flexible ethanol usage system, or E-Flex, after E20 has a stable user base, alongside promoting hybrid vehicles that support high-proportion ethanol, or HEV-Flex, and domestically produced mild hybrid vehicles, or mHEV. The third proposal is to enhance the competitiveness of the ethanol industry supply chain, from increasing sugarcane and cassava yields per rai, reducing harvesting and transportation costs, to developing sustainability standards and traceability systems. The FTI therefore proposes that the government formulate a national ethanol and biofuel strategy, setting clear long-term targets and action plans, while affirming the industry's readiness to jointly drive the policy forward.
