President Carlos Alvarado said on Tuesday that a pilot project will seek volunteers to fill their gas tank for free, in order to test an ethanol gasoline mixture called Eco95.
Last year the government proposed a plan to mix gas with ethanol, which would be more environmentally friendly and at a lower cost. Although the government said a liter could cost 613 colones, no endorsement has been made by the Regulatory Authority of Public Services (Aresep) to set a price.
Just yesterday, the Ombudsman’s Office requested information from the Costa Rican Petroleum Refinery and the Ministry of Environment and Energy (Minae) about the Eco95 plan. The entity requested a detailed report on the “current status of the initiative to add ethanol to gasoline and the start date of its execution.
According to Alejandro Muñoz, Recope’s executive president, “there is a lot of unfounded fear.” A recent proposal to introduce 8 percent ethanol alarmed people who are worried that the mix will damage vehicles.
“The decree will be signed soon, and will allow people to enroll in the pilot plan, and fill their tanks, free of charge at least 2 stations in the country. The plan will study on these can the effect on these vehicles and the performance of these engines.
RECOPE has not refined gasoline since 2011 and is currently limited to idistribution of gasoline.