No adverse effect has been reported to date from the use of palm oil-based B5 biodiesel in diesel engine vehicles, says Plantation Industries and Commodities Deputy Minister Datuk Hamzah Zainudin.
He said the ministry and the Malaysian Palm Oil Board have been conducting scheduled monitoring by obtaining samples for testing from petrol stations selling the fuel.
“Tests have revealed that the B5 fuel is suitable for use in diesel vehicles,” he told reporters after launching the national level B5 programme in the state here today.
Negeri Sembilan is the third state, after Putrajaya and Melaka, to implement the B5 programme for the land transport sector which encompasses private cars, government-owned cars as well as commercial vehicles.
The fuel is sold at six petrol stations in Putrajaya and 107 petrol stations in Melaka.
He said beginning today, 156 petrol stations in the state would sell the B5 palm-oil based biodiesel.
“As many as 247 petrol stations in Kuala Lumpur will begin selling B5 on Sept 1 and then Selangor will follow suit on Oct 1 with 634 stations offering the fuel to customers. So far, 1,150 petrol stations in the central region retail the B5 biodiesel.
“This shows that we have reached a commendable figure. Although we encourage government-owned vehicles to use B5, this does not mean we are not inviting others to use B5 to fuel their vehicles.
“God willing, since B5 was launched in June until today we have not received any negative report in the country. This is good news for the country as the Prime Minister has said he wants to reduce carbon dioxide emission via the use of B5 which is a mixture of five per cent esterified palm methyl ester and 95 per cent diesel ,” he added.
Hamzah said studies show that the use of palm-based biofuel reduced green houses gas emission by 50 per cent compared with fossil diesel.
He added that the B5 programme would not result in spiralling fuel prices as the government would continue to provide subsidies to ensure the retail price of B5 would be at par with that of diesel.
Since February 2009, no less than 3,900 vehicles from various government agencies such as the Kuala Lumpur City Hall and the Armed Forces have been conducting test usage of the fuel, with no adverse effects reported.
Malaysia is the second country to implement the use of B5 after Indonesia which has using it since 2006 in selected cities and provinces.
Thailand has been using the mandatory B2 blend since April 2008 and the Philippines mandated the use of B1 in May 2007.
