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Food |
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 The
price of a barrel of super-high gasoline increased to
$83, which caused the increase in prices in Costa
Rica.
/ A.M. Costa Rica wire service photo Oil refinery increased gasoline and diesel price |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The Costa Rican Petroleum Refinery, known as Recope, increased of ₡73 colones (about $0.12) per liter of Super gasoline, an increase of ₡67 colones (about $0.11) in gasoline Plus and the increase of ₡26 (about $0.05) per liter in diesel. The fuel prices are now : Super gasoline ₡618 (about $1) per liter, gasoline Plus ₡602 (about $1) colones per liter and Diesel ₡542 (about $0.90). Luis Carlos Salazar, head of Economic Studies of Recope, said that there are two main reasons that justify the increase in the price. "In this case we have two particular situations in the international market: first we have an increase in the international price of crude oil and, and second we are in the period of refinery maintenance." According to Salazar, the price of a barrel of super-high gasoline increased to $83, which caused the increase in prices in Costa Rica. Related to the latest proposals from Recope about the gasoline used in Costa Rica, and as reported by AM Costa Rica on April 10, the organization had to suspend the controversial ethanol gasoline project. Alejandro Muñoz Villalobos, president of Recope, announced that the sale of gasoline with ethanol, ECO95, will be postponed, in order to extend the deadline to analyze this project. "This measure creates a space of time, and aims to broaden the discussion and analysis at a technical and scientific level on the subject," said Muñoz. This announcement was made after a former legislator and representatives of the government questioned the efficiency of the new ECO95 fuel. On April 7, Natalia Díaz, a former deputy in the 2014-2018 period, announced that she filed a complaint (known as Recurso de Amparo) against Recope's ECO95 project, which would force the consumer to buy gasoline with Ethanol, an arbitrary and unconstitutional decision that could violate the principles of reasonableness and transparency. "The right to property is damaged due to damage to the vehicle because the same expert authorities in the matter have opined that eventually the gaskets, injectors and the same fuel tank could suffer deterioration with ethanol," was part of the claim made by Deputy Díaz. "There is also an obvious injury to the constitutional principle of reasonableness, due to technical reasonableness, as it has not been demonstrated with technical studies of the feasibility of use without collateral damage," said the former deputy in her complaint. However, Recope will create a pilot program for volunteers who want to use the fuel in their vehicles to verify the performance of gasoline with Ethanol, ECO95. "At this moment we are working on defining the conditions of the volunteer program, which will be announced in a timely manner," said Muñoz. On April 5, Recope announced the new type of gasoline, ECO95, which contains 8 percent ethanol. The government was looking forward to reducing CO2 emissions from combustion engines. The price proposed by Recope was ₡611 colones per liter (about $1). Recope specialists said that the new ECO95 gasoline will keep all the characteristics of gasoline known as Super with the octane rating #95. They said the main advantage of the new ECO95 gasoline is that it contributes to the reduction of the carbon footprint because ethanol used as an oxygenating agent will replace the compound methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE), which is a more polluting additive. Recope tested the product in engines, both in the laboratory and in few vehicles owned by the institution that are already using ECO95 gasoline. "These tests have shown that in cars that had received adequate maintenance, the ECO95 provides similar performance to conventional gasoline but better combustion efficiency," said Recope experts on its statement. Some of the main warnings mentioned by specialists after using the ECO95 gasoline were: - Keep maintaining the filters, because the solvent property of the ethanol removes more the dirt adhered to the gasoline tank, and this will make the filters dirty faster. - Check the seals and packaging that are made of rubber, because rubber is degraded by ethanol. - Check the tightness of the fuel tank top cover (lid), to avoid leaks of water that could mix with the fuel. According to Recope experts, fuel with ethanol is used in the United States, Jamaica, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay; as well as India, Japan, China and much of Europe. ------------- Is gasoline price in Costa Rica more or less expensive than your country? We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to: news@amcostarica.com *Link to reach the place map. |
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