Energy

Guidelines for the Quality of Regulated Fuels

The Council of Ministers approved the guidelines for the Quality of Regulated Fuels on the 23rd of August 2023.

This guideline includes the new recommended specifications for the fuels Mogas 95 and Gasoil LSD as well as the specifications of the other regulated fuels. It concerns an improvement of the existing specifications, the origin of which lay in the specifications used by PdVSA (previously the main supplier of fuels in Curaçao), for the production of the fuels.

With the termination of the operation of the refinery by PdVSA, Curoil was forced to import fuels and therefore no longer dependent on the specifications used by PdVSA for fuel production. Furthermore, over the past years there has been an increasing social demand for better quality fuel. A task force was established by the Minister of Economic Development to outline a widely supported advice on the quality of fuels. The task force consists of various government agencies (MEO, GMN, BT&P) and stakeholders from the private sector (including Curoil, gas station operators, the transport sector, heavy equipment and car dealers).

Under the direction of this task force, a study was conducted by SGS INSPIRE, an internationally renowned consultancy firm in the field of fuels, into the present fuel quality in comparison to international standards and guidelines and also on the specific circumstances of Curaçao. The quality standards and specifications recommended by SGS form the basis for the Mogas 95 and LSD specifications that are included in the guideline.

The first deliveries according to the new specifications are expected to arrive in Curaçao in November 2023. However, this does not mean that the fuel with the new specifications will be directly available at the gas station. There will be a “flush-out” period, during which the existing fuel stock based on old specifications will gradually be phased out by blending it with the fuel according to the new specifications. From that point on, it will take approximately 2 to 4 months (at the latest March 2024) before consumers can obtain the fuel in accordance with the improved specifications at the gas stations.

The main objectives of the new fuel specifications are, on the one hand, to improve the performance of vehicle engines, ultimately resulting in lower maintenance costs for consumers, and on the other hand, to reduce CO2 emissions for the benefit of the environment.

Click here to obtain the guideline.