A service station on the Damascus road, near Hazmieh-Baabda. (Credit: Mohammad Yassine/L'Orient-Le Jour)
The fuel sector must comply with three new standards for imported and distributed petrol and diesel by the end of December.
These standards were adopted by the Cabinet in a decree dated Sept. 12 and published a week later in the Official Gazette. Developed by the Lebanese Standards Institution (Libnor), they aim to align Lebanon with European standards.
"Their implementation will help improve the quality of fuel distributed in Lebanon and reduce environmental harm, which will have a positive impact on public health," Lena Dargham, Director General of Libnor, told L’Orient Today. She added that “the Energy Ministry, along with all national stakeholders, contributed to drafting the standards, which were led by Libnor.”
“We’ve been waiting for this for at least six years. Caretaker Industry Minister George Bouchikian, together with Libnor’s leadership, played a pivotal role in securing the adoption of this decree,” said Salim Saad, adviser to the Association of Car Importers (AIA) and a participant in the discussions.
According to Maroun Chammas, president of the Association of Fuel Importers in Lebanon (APIC) and also a participant in the discussions, this transition "should not pose significant challenges for importers, and the financial impact on consumers will be limited."
Georges Brax, spokesperson for the gas station owners' syndicate, considers this a positive development. He noted that the change in standards will not affect the operation of distributors and described the measure as "beneficial" for motorists.
The price of the fuels in question, currently regulated by the Energy and Water Ministry, ranges between $14 and $17 per canister.
What are the new standards?
The three new standards are as follows: NL-753:2016 for 98-octane gasoline; NL-254:2016 for 95-octane gasoline and NL-484:2016 for diesel.
According to Libnor, these standards outline "the general requirements and testing methods to be adopted" to ensure the quality of unleaded petrol and diesel intended for vehicles with internal combustion engines. The fuel is therefore relatively "cleaner," improving air quality for those who breathe it and performance for the vehicles that use it.
The maximum sulfur content in petrol has been significantly reduced, from 1,000 ppm to just 10 ppm (parts per million, a standard measure of pollution) for the 95-octane gasoline, and from 500 ppm to 10 ppm for the 98-octane gasoline. This reduction helps decrease sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions and minimizes metal corrosion in vehicle fuel tanks and pumps.
The two petrol standards also set maximum limits on manganese, which is used to boost the octane rating without relying on lead (previously absent), and on benzene, now restricted to one-fifth of the current limit and replaced with less harmful substances, said Dargham. Lead is no longer permitted under any circumstances.
The diesel standard applies to fuel with a fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) content not exceeding 7 percent by volume, also known as Diesel B7, designed for vehicles that use it. It mandates reducing the sulfur content from 350 ppm to 10 ppm, yielding the same beneficial effects as seen with petrol. Additionally, maximum limits have been specified for manganese and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).
According to Dargham, these three standards are modeled after the European standards EN 590:2013 (for diesel) and EN 228:2012 (for unleaded petrol), incorporating most requirements from the Euro 6 emissions standard, which has been mandatory for car manufacturers since September 2015 (with several variations). It is worth noting that the Euro 7 standard, approved in 2024, is set to take effect in 2026.
Impact on supply chains
The decree enforcing these three standards requires fuel importers to comply within three months of its publication in the Official Gazette, meaning by Dec. 19.
According to Chammas, the fuel, which is of higher quality than what has been imported to Lebanon so far (equivalent to at least Euro 3 standards), will result in a slight increase in pump prices.
“For petrol, the additional cost will be around $9 to $12 per kiloliter, depending on the supplier, which translates to $0.18 per 20-liter canister [approximately LL 16,110 at an exchange rate of LL 89,500 to the dollar],” he estimated, adding that the price difference will be similar for diesel. Saad recalled that the price difference used to be around LL 300 or $0.20, back when the former official exchange rate of LL 1,507.5 to the dollar was still in effect.
Chammas added that the fuel transition will not require gas station owners to modify their equipment, as the new standards do not include specific measures regarding the storage of petrol and diesel. He also said that this transition is unlikely to disrupt the country’s supply chains, even though it will inherently limit compatible supply options, “as preference will need to be given to refineries operating within the European Union.”
According to him, some importers may still be forced to change suppliers. Testing of fuel shipments arriving in Lebanon will remain the responsibility of the teams from the Directorate of Petroleum Facilities, which operates under the Energy and Water Ministry.
For importers of European cars in Lebanon, who account for 24 percent of the total vehicle fleet (according to the AIA), the implementation of these standards will provide Lebanese motorists with fuel that is less harmful to the environment and public health.
This fuel will also optimize vehicle performance and reduce wear and tear, noted Saad. He added that adopting these new standards will allow Lebanon to import certain brands and models of vehicles that manufacturers were previously unwilling to ship to the country because their engines were designed exclusively to comply with Euro 6 standards.
This article was translated from L'Orient-Le Jour.
