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This year, the Lithuanian Supreme Administrative Court recognized that the ban on the use of biofuels during the winter months is illegal and repealed the legislation providing for the bans.
Thus, in a week, drivers will buy fuel with biocomponents at Lithuanian petrol stations. Like many countries in the European Union (EU), Lithuania promotes the use of cleaner fuels. Biofuels are more respectful with the environment, emitting up to 72% more than fuels derived from petroleum. less carbon dioxide. Furthermore, the use of local biofuels reinforces Lithuania’s energy independence and creates added value for the local economy.
According to Mindaugas Palijanskas, president of the Biofuels Association, drivers won’t feel the difference when gas stations start selling diesel and biofuels in the winter months. The expert in the biofuels market considers incorrect the comments that have appeared in the public sphere that the price of diesel at service stations has risen significantly after the introduction of biofuels.
“The retail price of fuel is determined by many different factors, including the fluctuating price of oil in the market, the margin of the oil refinery, taxes levied by the state, and fierce competition from service station networks. The share of biofuels in the final price of diesel is negligible and amounts to approximately 5%. For comparison, on the same day, the price of a liter of diesel can reach several tens of cents at the gas stations of the same network ”, Emphasized M. Palijanskas.
What makes up and determines the price of fuel?
Most of the fuel price consists of taxes: excise duties and the value added tax that is applied to the final fuel price. If a liter of fuel at a gas station costs 1 euro, the tax alone can represent more than half of the total price. The share in the purchase of diesel is approximately 36 percent. prices and costs and margins of service stations: about 5 percent. final fuel prices. 7% is added to the diesel. biofuels, so the share of biofuels in the final price of fuel is only around 5%. prices.
According to the director of the Biofuels Association, in winter, as in other times of the year, the price of fuel is determined mainly by the market situation; This is obvious from the price of the S&P Global Platts and Orlen Lietuva diesel market price index. As the price of PLATTS changes, so does the price of Orlen, regardless of whether biofuels are mixed with diesel.
Lithuanian biofuels are suitable for discerning Scandinavians
Not all biofuels produced in Lithuania are consumed in the local market, a large part of the production exported to Western Europe, mainly to Scandinavian countries – Norway, Sweden.
The Mestilla company, managed by the shareholders of Linas Agro Group, is the largest producer of biofuels in Lithuania. According to Ramūnas Tinginis, deputy general manager of the company, customers in Scandinavian countries impose stricter quality requirements on biofuel producers than those provided for in the standards. It is important for biofuel producers to take into account fuel quality parameters during winter.
“We have been exporting biofuels to the Scandinavian countries for more than 10 years; each year we provide more than 100 thousand. tons of biofuels. We are pleased to meet the requirements of Scandinavian customers. Our products are purchased by large customers, such as eg. Eg the major oil producers, gas station chains and marketers ”, said a spokesperson for Mestilla.
The interviewee pointed out that the Nordic countries have a more severe and very different climate in different regions of these countries, p. Eg by sea or in the mountains, but fuels are also used in transport with a higher concentration of biofuels than in Lithuania.
For example, due to ambitious fossil fuel phase-out targets, the share of bioadditives in diesel in Scandinavian countries is already 15-20%, and some public transport companies, especially in large cities, use fuel blends. with higher concentrations of biofuels (eg 30%). Even pure biofuels are added to vehicles in hot climates.
The properties of the fuel were proven by scientists.
A practical test of the effects of RME on cars by scientists from the Department of Engineering of Vilnius Gediminas Technical University and an accredited research company showed that there is no difference between conventional arctic diesel and diesel with bioadditive RME. The cars started without difficulty, despite the air temperature having dropped to minus 26 degrees that winter.
Knowing that most commercial vehicles run on diesel, 8 tractors were also tested in the study. Four of them used only diesel with an RME component throughout the winter, and the other 4 used mineral diesel without the addition of biofuels. At the beginning of the experiment, the fuel filters of all trucks were sealed in the presence of notaries.
At the end of the experiment, no differences were observed between the filters of the tractors using pure diesel and diesel with the addition of biofuel.
According to biofuel experts, regular and proper maintenance of gas station equipment, cleaning of tanks, responsible selection of fuel suppliers and ensuring logistics are of particular importance for the final quality of the fuel. in cold weather.
More energy independence
According to Martynas Nagevičius, President of the Lithuanian Confederation of Renewable Energy Sources, Lithuania has set itself the goal of reaching 15% of renewable resources in the transport sector by 2030. in final consumption.
“So far, there is still a long way to go: Lithuania is lagging behind many EU countries and even faces fines for non-compliance with the 2020 directive. Blending biofuels during winter is the first, simplest and cheapest step, but important to achieve this ambitious goal. “In addition, according to M. Nagevičius, the more renewable resources Lithuania will use, the less the country’s dependence on fossil fuels imported from Eastern countries.
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