Fuel Stations adulterate up to 30% of each liter of fuel

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The mixture is made after being acquired from the producer or importers

Adulterated fuel is sold in Mexico, and it is an illegal practice that is far from being eradicated, since it is done clandestinely, it is encouraged by “self-consumption” without permits, in addition to the fact that there is no regulation that requires its complaint.

In an interview with Excelsior, Andrés Gutiérrez Torres, general director of CIEFSA, a company specialized in chemical analysis services for petroleum products, explained that there are three types of fuels on the market: one that complies with all regulations from its production to distribution and sale, as well as the poor quality product that had a problem during its preparation, transfer or for some reason was contaminated.

The third is the gasoline and diesel that was modified on purpose, adulterated in its composition, obviously knowing that the quality is going to decrease. They do it to get a cheaper product,” he stated.

This type of fuel is sold or used mainly by so-called “self-consumption”. However, it is also reaching service stations and, therefore, end consumers.

The mixture, completely illegal, is carried out in one of the phases of the value chain after being acquired from the producer (Petróleos Mexicanos) or one of the importers, since it goes through the marketers, distributors, and self-consumption.

According to the analyzes that CIEFSA has carried out, as a certified laboratory, it has detected that 40% of the fuels that it has analyzed was adulterated, that is, 70% of the product is gasoline, while 20% are light naphthas and 10 % are alcohols, while diesel is mixed with mineral oils.

Light naphthas are petroleum derivatives that were also distilled, like gasoline, but do not meet the specific properties”, alcohols are basically ethanol.

If I buy a million liters of product, and I put 30% (of other substances) in it, in the end I will have one million 300 thousand liters”, which will represent a greater profit for whoever sells it, but a significant affectation for government tax collection and, in the long term, damage to end-customer cars.

The adulteration of gasoline means loss of tax revenue, mechanical damage to cars, unfair competition, harmful effects on health and the environment.

Self-consumption

The manager assured that the Energy Regulatory Commission (CRE) has registered 350 valid self-consumption permits, however, no less than 22,000 of this type of establishments operate in the country, which are small stations, most within a property private, designed so that a company can supply itself with fuel.

He said that the lack of regulation not only encourages adulterated fuels in these establishments, but also the fiscal huachicol that is far from being eradicated, since the authorities do not verify the legal origin of the fuels they use or even sell to third parties, they also do not have permission for that practice.

As part of this, transporters (pipes) have been detected who make their mixtures before reaching the service stations.

Service stations

The manager stated that the mixtures are not made at service stations, since they mostly sell the fuels already deluded, of which they are shown documents with which in theory they comply with the regulations, when in fact it has already been reduced.

CIEFSA was born in 2017 to comply with NOM-016-CRE-2016: Quality specifications for oil products. It is a company with 100% Mexican capital, and its policy is to carry out its testing activities in such a way that they comply with the requirements of the NMX-EC-17025-IMNC-2018 standard.

Source: Excelsior