Thailand drops E20 policy due to high costs of biofuels

In Thailand, the Bangkok Post reports the plans to implement 20% ethanol blending have been scrapped indefinitely due to the high costs of ethanol. Ethanol is produced from sugarcane and cassava in Thailand, but the production cost is nearly twice that of gasoline, while biodiesel produced from palm oil is nearly triple the cost of fossil diesel. The government subsidizes blending through the Oil Fuel Fund Administration Office but the huge gaps between biofuels and fossil fuels make anything beyond E10 inviable for the foreseeable future.