Today, on 18 November, the Minister of the Environment Mr Villu Reiljan signed a regulation that makes it possible to sell diesel fuel with two different sulphur contents during the next three years. Given the current situation of the world economy and the condition of the fuel market, in order to avoid price increases related to the change in the sulphur content of fuels, it is rational to extend marketing diesel fuel with sulphur content up to 50 ppm according to the deadline allowed by the directive, i.e. up to 1 January 2009. “By providing consumers with options, we consider the last months’ changes in the fuel prices of the world market. Naturally, there is still a clear trend to reducing the sulphur content of fuels. As the next stage, there is an intention to reduce sulphur in ships’ fuels,” explained Villu Reiljan, the Minister of the Environment. By using diesel fuel with higher sulphur content, we ensure security of supply for the Estonian market, as this creates an opportunity to purchase diesel fuel also from Russia and Belarus. Hence, an alternative is maintained to purchasing fuel from Lithuania and Finland, and this in turn has an inhibiting effect on the price of the diesel fuel.
Viktor Grigorjev Adviser, Environmental Management and Technology Department, Ministry of the Environment Phone: 626 2986
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