Ethanol enigma hangs over industry

MacEwen Petroleum Inc. is caught up in the ethanol enigma.

The Ontario fuels retailer sells 85-per-cent ethanol fuel at just one of its 70 locations, and would love to expand that number — if only there were enough consumer demand. But that demand largely depends on there being enough vehicles able to handle that fuel, which in turn depends on a large supply of ethanol. Which, in turn, depends on companies such as MacEwen setting up a retail network. “It’s the chicken and egg thing,” said Marcel Labelle, MacEwen’s vice-president of sales and supply.

Globe and Mail