KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 20 ― The National B20 Biodiesel Programme for the transport sector, which is already underway in Langkawi and Labuan in January 2020, will be expanded nationwide in June 2021, Primary Industries Minister Teresa Kok Suh Sim said.

She said the B20 biodiesel programme, which involves blending 20 per cent palm methyl esters with 80 per cent diesel, would also be extended to Sarawak in April and Sabah in August this year.

The implementation entails collaboration between the Ministry of Primary Industries and the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) with five local authorities, of which the Subang Jaya Municipal Council, Ampang Jaya Municipal Council and Shah Alam City Council had already conducted B20 field tests, she added.

She said vehicle manufacturers and distributors such as Tan Chong Industrial Equipment and Hyundai Sime Darby Motors and transport companies such as FGV Transport Services Sdn Bhd and SOP Transport Sdn Bhd had also conducted B20 trials.

"A total of 35 vehicles from the ministry and MPOB based in Putrajaya and MPOB headquarters started using B20 in June 2019 without encountering any problems,” she said at the launch of the National B20 Biodiesel Programme for the transport sector by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Wan Azizah Wan Ismail at Dataran Merdeka, here today.

Kok said the ministry and MPOB would continue their collaboration with the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA) in conducting a study on the B20 blend for Euro5 vehicles with the cooperation of automotive experts from Mazda Malaysia and the Malaysian Institute of Robotic and IoT Automotive (Marii) and the support of the Road Transport Department and the Department of Environment.

"This study is the first study conducted by JAMA on Euro 5 vehicles. It is divided into two, namely a lab study at the Japan Automotive Research Institute (JARI), which is expected to be completed in April 2020, and a field study using two Mazda CX-5 SUVs in Malaysia,” he said.

Kok said the success of the Malaysian Standards Department in developing two Malaysian Standards, namely "MS123-4: 2020 high PME diesel fuel ― Specification ― Euro 5M; and MS123-5: 2020 High PME diesel fuel ― Specification-Euro 5 ", could boost consumer confidence besides becoming industry guidance and reference in supporting the implementation of the B20 biodiesel programme.

Meanwhile, Kok said in order to prepare Malaysia for future implementation of the B30 programme, the ministry and MPOB had also conducted a research using biodiesel blends above B20.

"In support of the ministry's efforts in spearheading biodiesel use and achieving low-carbon cities, DBKL will launch B30 field tests with MPOB in June 2020 by providing 30 to 50 diesel vehicles,” she said.

Currently, the MPOB is conducting a B30 study with six universities, namely Universiti Malaya, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, Universiti Teknikal Melaka, Universiti Kuala Lumpur, and Universiti Nottingham Malaysia. ― Bernama