Ethanol Replaces Regular Gasoline in Pacific Coast
Travelling by car to Puntarenas and Guanacaste, drivers will be surprised to find that there is no "regular" gasoline available at any of the 62 gasoline stations in the area. Super and diesel gasoline is plentiful.

This is due to a pilot project to replace regular gasoline with an alcohol mix, a new product that is cleaner burning and environment friendly.

The Refinadora Costarricense de Petróleo (Recope) began selling the product to gasoline stations this week, replacing regular gasoline with a 5% to 7.5% ethanol mix that will soon be increased to 10%. The price of the new gasoline will be same as regular, ¢436 colones per litre, but is expected to be lowered once sales increase.

The ethanol mix product is only available in the provinces of Puntarenas and Guanacaste.

The Barranca (Puntarenas) plant was chosen for the pilot project which supplies the Pacific coast region. If the project results successful, Recope plans to construct tanks at all plants and make the product available at all gasoline stations in the country.

Sales of the new product began Friday amid some protests. A group of fishermen demonstrated against the ethanol product, saying that there isn't sufficient data to prove that the alcohol mix does not damage their boat motors.