Taiwan EPA outlines new gasoline, diesel fuel standards

Taiwan’s Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) last week published an implementation timetable for new specifications for gasoline and diesel fuels. The standards, which will take effect in 2011, call for lowering the maximum aromatics content in gasoline from 36% to 35% starting from July 1, 2011 and the maximum sulfur content in gasoline from 50 parts per million (ppm) to 10 ppm starting January 1, 2012. The EPA also plans to limit the Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP) to 66.9 kiloPascals (kPa) and the oxygen content to 3.24%, before the mandate to use E3 takes effect in 2011. In addition, it will cap the polyaromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) content of diesel at 11%, while the cetane number of diesel will also be fixed at 48 minimum, in line with European Union Euro 4 standards. (June 23, 2009)