VIENTIANE, March 15 (Xinhua) -- Lao government is seeking alternative ways to decrease the consumption of fuel and bolster environmental protection.
A pilot project was conducted from the end of November 2015 to August 2016 using MXT9, which is a nano-bio fuel additive to improve the combustion quality of gasoline, gasohol, diesel, biodiesel and heavy fuel oil.
The project was jointly launched by Lao Ministry of Energy and Mines' Institute of Renewable Energy Promotion (IREP) and QE International Company Limited recently, repored Lao state-run media Vientiane Times on Wednesday.
Speaking at a meeting earlier this week to summarize the pilot project, the Institute's Acting Director General Chantho Milattanapheng said the project aimed to demonstrate the use of MXT9 for fuel savings and is one of the strategies to promote energy savings and environmental care.
After the test project came to an end, the positive feedback has shown that the motorists and motorcyclists who participated in the project are satisfied with this alternative option of advanced technology, he was quoted as saying.
The test project was divided into two phases, the first phase involved testing with motorbikes and the second phase tested cars. Project participants were mainly from Lao Ministry of Energy and Mines.
According to statistics on energy consumption from the ministry, consumption by type in 2014 showed that fuel oil was recorded at 32.7 percent, fuel wood was 49.1 percent and electricity accounted for 12.6 percent. In addition, the energy from charcoal was 5.4 percent and 0.2 percent came from coal.
Meanwhile in terms of energy consumption by sector, transportation consumed 31.3 percent, while residential consumption was 47.4 percent, the commercial sector 12.3 percent, and the industrial sector 8 percent, according to Vientiane Times.
The National Energy Efficiency and Consumption Policy aims to achieve a reduction in national energy demand by 10 percent in the year 2030. A reduction in energy consumption of about one percent per year on average and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions are also on the agenda.
