THE Guyana Oil Company in collaboration with the National Oil Company of Suriname, Staatsolie, last week hosted a series of forums on the benefits of ultra -low sulphur (ULSD) diesel in Georgetown, Essequibo and Berbice.

These forums provided companies and persons who use diesel fuel technical information regarding GUYOIL’s recently introduced ultra-low sulphur diesel, Guyoil said in a release. ULSD is a premium diesel fuel and contains 0.000003% sulphur. ULSD aids in reducing corrosion and maintenance of your engine and eliminates exhaust blockages and exhaust odour. Additionally, persons that switch to ULSD will experience a significant reduction in “black smoke” during warming up of the vehicle.

According to Staatsolie Marketing Advisor, Dyron Ellis, this type of diesel was designed to address environmental concerns relating to sulphur emissions. Ellis emphasised that ULSD will at least give the same performance in terms of mileage as the regular low-sulphur diesel. He clarified the fact that a reduction in sulphur will not affect mileage, since it is the energy content of the diesel that influences mileage.

Marketing and Sales Manager of GUYOIL, Eric Whaul, stated that ULSD is currently available at GUYOIL’s Kitty, Regent Street, Providence, Diamond and Palmyra Service Stations. Mr Whaul stated that GUYOIL is currently working to increase availability of the product across the company’s service station network.

He added that customers can now purchase ULSD for the same price as the regular diesel at GUYOIL, thereby getting better value for the same price. The Environmental Protection Act of 1996 provides for the development of emission- control regulations to address a variety of contaminants, including sulphur. Discussions on these regulations have begun.