The Ministry of Energy and Mines (MEM) authorized the registration of three ethanol producing companies in Guatemala, with which they will be enabled to provide this biofuel for the mixture with gasoline that will come into force on June 30.
The three companies to which the MEM issued authorization to register in the Registry of Fuel Alcohol Producers are Mag Alcoholes, Public Limited Company; Alcohol and Rum Distiller, Public Limited Company, and Bio Ethanol, Public Limited Company, according to information from the institution.
The first producing entity registered with the MEM is Alcohol and Rum Distiller, Public Limited Company, For which this Friday, April 10, Ministerial Agreement 112-2026/SG was published in the Diario de Centro América, which came into force this same day.
The fuel alcohol production plant is located at kilometer 4.5 of the highway to La Maquina, municipality of San Andrés Villa Seca, Retalhuleu.
The installed capacity reported for registration in the Registry is 80 thousand liters of fuel alcohol per day (equivalent to 21 thousand 133.76 gallons) and an estimated annual production capacity of 26 million liters (equivalent to 6 million 868 thousand 473.36 gallons).
The reported storage capacity is 4 million 500 thousand liters of fuel alcohol (1 million 188 thousand 774.23 gallons), according to the document.
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While the other two production entities mentioned, Mag Alcoholes and Bio Etanol, are close to completing their registration process in the Producer Registry. The companies have already been notified of the respective ministerial agreements, and the respective ministerial agreements are pending publication in the Diario Centro América to formalize their registration, added the MEM through the Communication office.
In this regard, the Vice Minister of Energy and Mines, in charge of the hydrocarbons area, Edwin Barrios, indicated that three registrations were managed and authorized, but explained that there is a procedure that is in charge of the interested companies, of which one has already carried out it and corresponds to the agreement published this Friday, while the others still have to finalize it.
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The agreement establishes that, prior to the corresponding registration, each company must make publications in accordance with the applicable regulations.
The others two mentioned production companies are located in Escuintla.
In the case of Mag Alcoholsto which Ministerial Agreement 111-2026/SG corresponds, registered a production plant located in La Democracia, Escuintla. The registered installed capacity is 50 thousand liters of fuel alcohol per day (about 13 thousand 210.04 gallons) and an estimated annual production capacity of 9 million liters (2 million 377 thousand 807.13 gallons). The storage capacity is 1 million 93 thousand 925 liters (289 thousand 015.85 gallons).
TO Bio Ethanol (Ministerial Agreement 113-2026/SG), the registration of a fuel alcohol production plant located at kilometer 86.5 of the CA-2 Oeste highway, in Siquinalá, Escuintla, is authorized.
The reported installed capacity is 600 thousand liters of fuel alcohol per day (158 thousand 520.48 gallons), with an estimated annual production capacity of 108 million liters (28 million 533 thousand 685.60 gallons). The storage capacity is 11 million 685 thousand 024 liters (3 million 87 thousand 192.60 gallons).
Upon authorization of registration in the registry and completion of all procedures, companies will be authorized to market ethanol intended for mixing 10% (E10) with gasoline, he added.
According to the MEM, until Friday, April 10, There was no file submitted for the application for Distributed Registration of fuel alcohol (as ethanol importers are called according to the Fuel Alcohol Law and its regulations). At the moment they have only been approached for a pre-review of the technical-legal documentation that they are about to present, the institution explained.
Barrios considered it important that there is local production of ethanol and also imports, to ensure that gasoline importers can purchase this biofuel both in Guatemala and abroad.
Demand
According to MEM estimates, in The country will need about 100 million gallons of ethanol annually to cover the demand generated by the mixture of 10% of this biofuel per gallon of gasoline.
The three companies mentioned, which were authorized to register, have a total production of 37 million 779 thousand 966 gallons. To meet the demand It will have to be imported and it is expected that most of it will come from the United Statesaccording to what the vice minister said last January.
Read also: US ethanol producers have received requests for quotes to supply the product to Guatemala
Gas stations
The official indicated that they continue to communicate with fuel dispensers or gas stations to follow up on the necessary maintenance, so that they are prepared on time.
The maintenance in the gas stations They basically consist of extracting water from the tanks that contain said liquid to prevent it from mixing with gasoline. He added that not all tanks have water, but “the idea is that none of them have water by June 30,” the date on which the mandatory mixing of E10 in gasoline will come into effect.
There are around 2,100 gas stations in the country. The organized sector in Ageg has spoken out against making the E10 mixture mandatory and supports leaving it to the consumer’s choice. Furthermore, they pointed out on other occasions that the MEM did not have an inventory of the situation of the stations and had not issued protocols in this regard. Although last February they began a dialogue.
