A cross section of the Kingdom’s motorists fill their vehicles up at a Phnom Penh petrol station on February 19. Yousos Apdoulrashim
Based on the recommendations of the Ministry of Environment, the Cambodian government has announced that it will implement EURO 5 fuel standards to help improve air quality and reduce climate change.
A January 31 statement from the Office of the Council of Ministers, made public today, revealed that the government has agreed to implement the EURO 5 standards, or fuel with a sulfur content of less than 10 parts per million (<10ppm), starting this year.
The new standards took effect for diesel fuel from January, while the current EURO 4 standard gasoline will be gradually phased out over a 6-month transition period and be completely replaced from the second semester of 2025.
The environment ministry explained on January 19 that “the use of EURO 5 fuel will help improve air quality and contribute to reducing climate change and environmental damage”.
The ministry added that the use of EURO 5 fuel will improve air quality by reducing harmful emissions.
“Since EURO 5 fuel contains lower levels of pollutants, it reduces emissions of pollutants such as sulfur dioxide (SO2), particulate matter (PM), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and carbon monoxide (CO) during engine combustion. This contributes to better air quality,” it said.
Additionally, using the fuel helps reduce the formation of smog and acid rain by decreasing the pollutants that can react with sunlight to create smog.
The reduction in sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions will also help prevent acid rain, which affects ecosystems and infrastructure.
The ministry highlighted that the use of EURO 5 fuel will help mitigate climate change. It reduces greenhouse gas emissions, as the higher-quality fuel will help cut down emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) and black carbon.
It will also improve the fuel economy of the Kingdom’s fleet of vehicles.
However, the ministry noted that the use of EURO 5 fuel alone will not be enough to improve air quality and reduce climate change from the transportation sector, but said the use of the new fuel, in combination with vehicles that meet the appropriate emissions standards, will go some way to combating these issues.
The decision to implement the new fuel standards comes at a time when Cambodia is facing air quality challenges during the dry season, particularly in Pursat, Banteay Meanchey and Koh Kong provinces.
These areas have experienced poor air quality, with air quality indices in some places reaching hazardous levels in the “red” or “orange” zones.
On February 18, from 6pm to 6am, January 19, the particulate matter (PM) concentration averaged 30.94 µg/m3 across the country. The ministry declared that this is within its acceptable standard of 50 µg/m3, and said the air quality index (AQI) was “Good”.
However, in Preah Vihear, Pursat and Siem Reap provinces the AQI reached “Moderate” levels, marked “yellow”, indicating light pollution.
