Kathmandu: Vice-chairman of the National Planning Commission (NPC) Prithivi Raj Ligal says that since there is no confusion on the use of ethanol as a viable fuel source, permission will be granted for using ethanol as fuel very soon after fulfilling various procedures.

The NPC vice-chairman said this while inaugurating a day-long workshop seminar on “the possibility of using gasohol as an alternative vehicle fuel” organised here on monday.

He said since gasohol which is extracted in the form of a refined fuel from the saggrine at sugar mills is found to be economically, environmentally and technically viable, permission for its production and use would be given on the basis of the report of a three-member study team.

Speaking at the workshop organised under the joint auspices of the Sriram Sugar Mills of the Golchha Organisation and the Praj Industries of Poona, India, president of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) Pradip Kumar Shrestha pointed out the need for government’s cooperation in allowing its use as an alternate fuel source.

He said the FNCCI was ready to provide the necessary cooperation for promoting gasohol.

Industrialist and proprietor of Sriram Sugar Mills Hulas Chand Golchha expressed the view that the use of gasohol which is seen viable both in terms of use and production, should not be delayed.

Second vice-president of the FNCCI and proprietor of the Sriram Sugar Mills Diwakar Golchha said that gasohol is a viable alternative fuel source is corroborated by studies carried out in other countries of the world and the National Planning Commission and the Ministry concerned have been approached for the permission to produce gasohol.

When gasohol, which is extracted from the molasses, a by-product of the sugar industries, is combined with petrol it makes a very good fuel and it is environmentally clean and cost effective, he said.

He said at present some 65,000 tonnes of molasses was produced from the 11 sugar factories in the country from which 20 million litres of alcohol is extracted. The molasses could be used to extract ethanol which can be used a vehicle fuel, he added.

Diwakar Nimkar and Bijaya Joshi of Praj Industries in a working paper presented on the occasion said that ethanol has been in use as a vehicle fuel since 25 years ago and in Brazil Ethanol was produced in more quantities than sugar for use as vehicle fuel.

President of Thapathali Campus Technical Committee Mr Om Bahadur Shrestha said that it was experimentally verified that ethanol can be used as vehicle fuel by mixing it with other vehicle fuels up to 10 or 20 per cent.

High level officials of His Majesty’s Government, acting director of Nepal Oil Corporation and others from concerned departments and offices attended the seminar.