Ukraine will begin blending all motor fuel with bioethanol starting next month as part of the country’s EU integration plans, the news outlet Economic Pravda reported on Wednesday.
Legislation passed last year in Ukraine mandates a shift to a 5% bioethanol mix in gasoline starting May 1. However, the looming deadline has raised questions about how the new law will be implemented given the lack of quality control in the country, according to a government source cited by the outlet.
Bioethanol, an alcohol made from plants such as sugar cane or maize, boosts fuel combustion efficiency and cuts greenhouse gas emissions. Until recently, biofuel hadn’t been used in Ukraine’s gasoline blends. That changed in June 2024, when the country’s parliament passed a law mandating its use to align with EU sustainability standards. Nearly all EU countries require gasoline to contain at least 5% bioethanol – known as E5 – with many already moving toward E10, a 10% blend.
According to the report, the new mandate will apply to all automotive fuel sold at wholesale and retail locations in the country, with the exception of high-octane 98 gasoline and fuel used by the Ukrainian military. However, the news outlet notes that the country currently does not produce E5-grade fuel and will rely heavily on imports.
“Some 90% of the imports will be already mixed. In other words, everyone will try their best to import already mixed gasoline from abroad,” Sergey Kuyun, head of the A-95 consulting group, told the outlet.
Gas station owners have expressed concern over the implementation of the new law.
“It won’t be controlled properly. Who will do it and how? There are no methods, no specialists, and extra funds are needed to carry out the checks,” the head of a major fuel network told the outlet.
Representatives from Ukraine’s State Environmental Inspectorate and the Energy Efficiency Agency said there would be no fines for non-compliance during the first few months, as enforcement legislation is not yet finalized.
“Consumers will most likely be forced to do their own quality control. If they buy low-quality fuel at a certain gas station, they will not return there. In principle, that’s how it works even now, because in fact there is no quality control in Ukraine,” a government source told the outlet.
Experts warned that the move could drive up fuel prices in the country, as most European producers have switched to E10 and would need to modify their facilities to supply Ukraine with E5.
Ukraine received its first two batches of E5 containing 4.8% bioethanol from Lithuania’s Orlen Lietuva and Romania’s OMV Petrom over the weekend, according to media reports. Additional shipments from Poland’s Orlen refinery and Germany’s PCK Schwedt are expected to begin in mid-April.
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