Vietnamese fuel producers and distributors have confirmed infrastructure readiness for blending and supplying E10 petrol across the country from April.
Trinh Quang Khanh, secretary general of the Vietnam Petroleum Association, said members’ total blending capacity has reached about 965,000 cubic metres per month, sufficient to meet nationwide demand for biofuel.
A representative of PV Oil said the company has been licensed to operate 13 blending facilities nationwide, including seven capable of continuous high-capacity production. Its total blending capacity currently stands at around 300,000 cubic metres per month and is expected to rise to between 350,000 and 380,000 cubic metres per month by the end of 2026. The company is also expanding ethanol storage capacity to about 40,000 cubic metres per month.
Base petrol supply is secured through contracts with domestic refineries and imports, covering March, April and May.
For ethanol, PV Oil has prepared supply plans aligned with demand of about 20,000 cubic metres per month under full E10 deployment, while maintaining reserves to ensure continuity in subsequent months. With current conditions, the company expects to roll out E10 sales widely from mid to late April, ahead of its original schedule.
Saigon Petro said all of its retail outlets will begin selling E10 from early April, with plans to expand supply in May if demand from partners increases. Anh Phat has also completed the necessary preparations and plans to begin E10 sales across its system from mid-April.
Securing ethanol supply remains a critical challenge for large-scale E10 deployment. Demand is expected to rise sharply as the entire market transitions, requiring stable output and consistent quality.
Do Van Tuan, chair of the Vietnam Biofuels Association, estimated ethanol demand for E10 blending at between 92,000 and 100,000 cubic metres per month. Vietnam currently has six ethanol plants, but only three are operational.
Several producers said they could increase output or resume operations if financial and market constraints are eased.
Dong Nai Ethanol Plant is operating at around 250 cubic metres per day, or 7,000 cubic metres per month, at full capacity. Plans are in place to raise output to about 130 per cent of current levels.
Dung Quat Ethanol Plant has recently entered commercial operation after trial runs and adjustments. Current output is about 6,000 tonnes per month and could increase to roughly 9,000 tonnes per month under favourable conditions.
Idle facilities also represent potential supply gains. Binh Phuoc Ethanol Plant, designed for around 6,000 cubic metres per month, has been inactive since major maintenance in 2018. Located near cassava sources in the Central Highlands, Tay Ninh and imports from Cambodia, it is well positioned to secure feedstock when restarted.
If reactivated, the plant could resume operations within three to five months after completing the necessary technical work.