Data from the Asian Institute of Petroleum Studies (AIPS) showed that the National Power Corp. (Napocor) and Salcon Power Plant have already completed their tests while East Asia Power Corp. is still finalizing the results of its tests.
Napocor had tested the use of one percent CME blend on two of its Busuanga generating sets while Salcon used the same blend with its 280 kilowatt (kW) Volvo Penta generating plant.
AIPS said these numerous tests would signal the start of CME use in the industrial sector, aside from the transport sector.
Based on the results of the tests conducted by Napocor, the power firm was able to bring down its fuel rate on its Busuanga Unit 1 and 2 by 2.6 percent and 5.6 percent, respectively.
Salcon, on the other hand, has realized a fuel rate reduction of 8.4 percent.
The AIPS said the reduction in fuel rate translates to millions of pesos in savings per month in fuel cost depending on the amount of power being generated.
"It substantially improves the profitability of power producers and hopefully prevent the increases in power cost," the institute said.
It further said that the use of CME even at one percent blend will eliminate corrosion in the fuel system (i.e fuel tank, injection pump, and injector units).
AIPS noted that a one percent blend of CME also restores the efficiency of the engine through non-invasive cleaning and declogging of injector nozzles as well as enhanced combustion of the fuel through its oxygen content.
The use of coco-biodiesel is one of the priority projects mentioned by President Arroyo in her recent State of the Nation Address (SONA).
She said the country has "enough capacity for the proposed one percent blend just waiting to be passed into law".
Last year, the DOST- Philippine Council for Industry and Energy Research and Development (PCIERD) had conducted tests for the use of CME in diesel generators.
Results from the tests show that using CME in diesel generators is cheaper. The fuel consumption, using 100 percent industrial grade diesel fuel oil (IGDFO), stood at 65.56 liters compared with a 10 percent CME-90 percent IGDFO blend of 60 liters.
CME is a good substitute for diesel for both stationary and automotive engines. It emits no sulfur and less smoke, making it friendly to the environment. It is produced through esterification, where coconut is made to react with methyl alcohol with the use of sodium hydroxide as catalyst. The end product is glycerine.
The government is trying to do away with the use of imported diesel fuel oil to jack up foreign exchange savings.