Globo artists station sold baptized fuel – 06/15/2023 – Panel SA

This week, the ANP banned the Shell gas station, where most Globo artists fill up their vehicles when they leave recording sessions at Projac, TV Globo studios in Rio de Janeiro.

The agency stopped operations after inspectors verified that the ethanol sold there had a concentration of 81.2% methanol —a concentration more than 160 times higher than the 0.5% limit allowed by the regulatory agency.

In a note, Raízen, responsible for Shell’s operation in Brazil, ensures that the product supplied is in line with ANP specifications and is investigating the facts to understand what happened.

“The company operates with the highest standards of quality and compliance in the industry and supports the inspection of the competent bodies”, says the company.

Methanol is a highly toxic substance that, when exposed to temperatures of 12 degrees, releases vapors that can cause blindness and even kill when inhaled.

The inspection target station is 500 meters from the access gate to Globo studios and is part of the GTB network, responsible for dozens of stations in the state of Rio.

Two other service stations on the same network had pumps banned for the same reason, also on Tuesday (13) – one of them also under the Shell brand and the other under BR.

The presence of methanol in concentrations well above the permitted level was responsible, last year, for Raízen to pay a millionaire fine.

Vibra (ex-BR) said it will notify and request formal clarifications from the GTB network. The company also claims that the products leave the distribution bases meeting quality requirements determined by legislation and accompanied by compliance bulletins.

“Vibra is closely monitoring the unfolding of the case and is at the disposal of the competent authorities in order to combat such practices, which harm both the distributors and the service stations that act in a reputable way as the final consumer”, said the company.

According to the ANP, the three stations will be subject to sanctioning administrative processes and may receive fines ranging from R$ 5,000 to R$ 5 million. Sanctions are published only after the outcome of the administrative process.

When contacted, the GTB network did not respond to the column’s questions.

With Diego Felix

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