THE Department of Energy (DoE) said Thursday that more study is needed before it can greenlight the addition of palm oil to the biofuel mix, as proposed by the Federation of Philippine Industries (FPI).
“(We) emphasize that a thorough technical study should first be conducted, particularly on the development of standard specifications for biodiesel from palm oil,” the DoE said in a statement.
The DoE said the FPI proposed using palm oil as feedstock to help bring biodiesel prices lower, and asked that Philippine National Standards (PNS) be prepared to accommodate palm oil into the biodiesel mix.
The DoE clarified that it has yet to approve such a proposal by the FPI, which had announced that the DoE has “agreed” to its proposals.
The DoE said one sticking point is that under Republic Act 9367 or the Biofuels Act of 2006, “only locally-sourced biofuel components shall be used in the biodiesel-blend mandate.”
FPI Chairman Jesus L. Arranza during the association’s virtual meeting with the DoE that he will ask Indonesia and Malaysia to allow the Philippines to use their standards as the basis for a biofuel PNS.
The DoE said it will bring the FPI proposal to the National Biofuel Board-Biodiesel Committee (NBB-BDC), for a comprehensive evaluation and recommendation, as per its commitment to the FPI.
The NBB-BDC is composed of the DoE, Philippine Coconut Authority, Department of Science and Technology, Department of Labor and Employment, and the Department of Trade and Industry. — Marielle C. Lucenio