Leaded gasoline finally phased out

Leaded gasoline has been phased out. In accordance with the provisions of Republic Act (RA) 8749, otherwise known as the Clean Air Act (CAA) of 1999, all the oil companies in the country have stopped selling leaded gasoline since last Dec. 23.

"All over the world, countries have been taking out the lead in their fuel because studies have confirmed its harmful effects on the environment and on our health," Energy Secretary Mario V. Tiaoqui said.

With the phasing out of leaded gasoline, the only kind of gasoline that local oil companies are selling now is unleaded gasoline.

Allaying the fears of many motorists, Tiaoqui said the use of unleaded gasoline will not diminish the performance of car engines. He said the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), automobile manufacturers and the oil companies have given their assurance that shifting from leaded to unleaded gasoline will not harm the engines of vehicles designed in the 80s upwards.

Unleaded gasoline was introduced in the Philippines in 1994 but its acceptance among local car owners was slow. It was only in the second half of 2000, when leaded gasoline was banned in Metro Manila, that sales of gasoline shot up dramatically, soaring by 144 percent in the third quarter of 2000 compared to the previous year.

Meanwhile, the oil companies said they are prepared to comply with the other provisions of the Clean Air Act although they warned that it will not be cost-free for the end users.

Industry leader Petron Corp. said it is investing an estimated P6 billion to comply with the CAA.

Under the same act, the sulfur level in diesel fuel will have to be reduced starting this month to 0.20 percent for automotive diesel and 0.30 percent for industrial diesel.

Petron corporate communications manager Antonio Pelayo said they have been implementing operational activities since 1999 to meet all requirements using the sulfur recovery unit (SRU) and the continuous catalytic reformer unit (CCRU).

The SRU reduces sulfur dioxide emissions while the CCRU increases the company’s capability to produce more unleaded gasoline.

However, Pelayo is concerned about the early deadlines for the reduction of aromatics and benzene content of gasoline. By 2003, aromatics must be reduced to 35 percent while benzene to two percent

"The facilities required for our compliance in 2003 will cost the company several billions of pesos. With our continued under recoveries and the unfavorable business conditions, the source of funding for these investments has become more uncertain. The added cost component would have to be incorporated in our product pricing," the Petron official said.