62 gas stations in the Pacific will begin selling today ethanol made in Costa Rica from Nicaraguan alchohol.  The ethanol will be sold at the same price as regular gasoline, and will have an average of 7.5% alchohol.  The stations who receive gas from the Barranca Plant are part of the pilot project, which if successful will be expanded nationwide.

According to the projects supporters, the consumers who choose ethanol will get several benefits: a better combustion in the cylinder, a cleaner motor (the alchohol cleans deposits from valves, hoses, injectors and tanks), and assurance that the quality is the same as regular gasoline.

However several functionaries of RECOPE have criticized the project.  Alchohol currently is more expensive than gasoline, so by adding it and charging the same price RECOPE loses money or has to make another product more expensive.  What does the country gain by substituting a more expensive product, particularly when it is imported?