Time to boost gasohol consumption, Bangchak urges

Bangchak Petroleum has urged the government to put more effort into encouraging gasohol consumption in response to rising ethanol production capacity, President Anusorn Sangnimnuan said. He said the government should take the opportunity, now that gasohol price is lower than the price of 95-octane gasoline, to increase gasohol use. The National Energy Policy and Planning Office board announced the new ethanol price on February 5, which prompted a drop in the ethanol price to 19.30 baht per liter (US$0.58/liter) from 25.30 baht per liter (US$0.76/liter). As a result, the price gap between gasohol-95 and octane-95 gasoline widened further, to 1.80 baht per liter (US$0.05/liter), up from the previous 1.50 baht per liter (US$0.045/liter). (February 16, 2007)