Thailand not ready for compulsory biodiesel - Toyota chief

The vice chairman of Toyota's Thai business unit, Ninnart Chaithirapinyo, has been quoted as saying that biodiesel production and quality in Thailand isn't ready for blending mandates, "the government should not compel refiners to mix B100 formula biodiesel in diesel, not until it is ready in terms of raw materials and the standards of biodiesel are improved."

Instead, Chaithirapinyo said that the government should move to promote sustained biodiesel production and improve biodiesel quality in case the fledgling industry is overwhelmed by demand.

Analysis: Production of biofuels in emerging economies like Thailand is less regulated and more likely to result in off-spec fuel that could damage vehicles. Promotion can obviously take place without mandates, so perhaps a "one step at a time" approach might gain a better result in Thailand than compulsory blend ratios.

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[Source: Bangkok's The Nation]

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