Santos — Despite the price collapse by international oil prices and the latest gasoline ex-refinery price adjustments, hydrous ethanol – E100 – is still technically offering an economic advantage for drivers in southeastern Brazil, government data show.
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Register NowIn the week that ended Saturday, the hydrous ethanol price's ratio to its gasoline counterpart was 70.16%, up slightly from 70.04% in the prior week, according to data released by the National Petroleum and Biofuel Agency (ANP) Monday. Since January 6, E100 in southeastern Brazil lost a minimum advantage of nearly 2.11 percentage points in consumers' pockets.
Consumers with flex-fuel vehicles will generally use only hydrous ethanol when its price is 70% of gasoline or less because of its lower fuel economy.
In 2019, the southeast region accounted for almost 50% of Brazil's total hydrous and gasoline C consumption.
Hydrous ethanol is not losing its advantage on the fossil fuel mostly due to the lag between Petrobras' price adjustment basis ex-refinery and the time fuel retailers change their prices at the pumps.
Since January 1, Petrobras has cut its gasoline ex-refinery prices by 34%, while the average price for consumers in the southeast dipped 1.46% from Real 4.60/liter in January to Real 4.53/liter on Saturday, according to ANP data.
In the meantime, the average hydrous ethanol price for consumers rose roughly 0.5%, an extremely loose correlation with the ex-mill price so far in 2020.
S&P Global Platts' assessment of hydrous ethanol ex-mill Ribeirao Preto fell 9.56% from an average price of Real 2,51/liter in January to Real 2.27/liter Monday.
If the coronavirus outbreak had not started to trim Brazilian fuel consumption, hydrous ethanol sales would have retained a good pace, despite the turmoil in the international oil markets.
Brazil's largest distribution companies are expecting that fuel consumption will fall nearly 10% in March and further 30% in April due to the ongoing coronavirus lockdown.