BANGI: The nationwide implementation of the B20 biodiesel fuel usage will be done in stages, starting with Langkawi, Kedah early next year, said Primary industries Minister Teresa Kok (pix).
She said efforts are being made to set up the necessary facilities, including a biodiesel fuel depot that is capable of storing the B30 biodiesel variant when it is implemented later on.
“Although the implementation of the B20 biodiesel fuel usage will begin next year, we want to have facilities which are capable of storing B30 biodiesel fuel, to be used in the future,” she told the media here, today.
Earlier on, Kok had attended a symbolic flagging-off ceremony for a Mazda CX5 sport-utility vehicle (SUV) which uses Euro 5 diesel – a joint venture project between the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) and the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (Jama).
Meanwhile, she said the government is still looking into the amount of allocation needed to upgrade diesel fuel depots nationwide.
The government had also given notice to car importers to prepare them on the nationwide implementation of the B20 biodiesel fuel programme next year, she said.
Kok also announced that the MPOB is working together with six local universities to conduct a two-and-a-half-year study on the usage of palm oil biodiesel up to the B30 variant in Euro 4 engines and below, adding that the government has allocated RM2.5 million for the study.
The six universities are Universiti Malaya, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, Universiti Teknikal Melaka, Universiti Kuala Lumpur and the University of Nottingham Malaysia. — Bernama
