04/02/2009 (Philippines Star), Bangkok - The Philippines must work double time to be able to catch up with worldwide efforts to develop alternative fuels, a ranking energy executive said.

In a press briefing here, PTT Public Ltd Co. (PPTPC) vice president for aviation and marine marketing Thawansak Krapong said they are already offering a higher ethanol blend or E85 in Thailand.

This level of ethanol blend on gasoline is far more efficient that what the Philippines’ oil companies are mandated to offer to their customers, which is only E10. In fact, the country’s biofuels law only mandated a five percent blend on gasoline blend.

For biodiesel, PTTPC is already offering B2 and B5 blend in its retail stations, far ahead of the Philippines’ one percent biodiesel blend.

The company is now studying the use of higher biodiesel blend, derived from palm oil, of up to B20.

Krapongh said they are also explaining the use of jatropha but admitted that they have not yet considered the feed- stock as a source of biodiesel.

He said it may need another three to five years to confirm the efficiency on the use of jatropha as an alternative fuel.

PTTPC’s efforts to promote the use of alternative fuels are aimed at bringing the company to become the ethanol hub of the region.

The oil conglomerate is setting aside about one billion bahts a year for research and development for alternative fuels alone.

Based on preliminary studies, jatropha has yet to match the yields being produced from palm oil which are now about  600 kilograms of oil per 6.25 hectares of land.

“We will start the development of the right seed that can produce the oil that match the quantity of palm oil in the same area with the same input within three years,” the PTTPC said.

With this, he said there is still hesitation on the utilization of jatropha as a feedstock.

“We have to make sure that it has high productivity.”

Thailand has started developing the use of alternative fuels particularly ethanol as early as 10 years ago.

To date, the Thai government has been pouring in much efforts and support to promote the use of alternative fuels such as giving out tax breaks and subsidies.

PTTPC is Thailand ‘s largest energy company with investments in oil refining, petrochemicals and in both the upstream and downstream oil and gas industry.

PTT is selling its ethanol blended gasoline at its 1,200 retail stations all over Thailand.

In the Philippines, the country’s petroleum players are expected to start this week offering the mandated five percent blend on ethanol as mandated under the Biofuels Act of 2006. An increased two percent blend on biodiesel will also be carried out.