Fuel

Haiti is on its way to replace wood-burning stoves with clean, ethanol-fueled cook stoves through project Gaia.

Project Gaia is a Non-profit non-governmental U.S organization working to provide cheap eco-friendly alcohol based fuel on ethanol stoves in the developing countries. Most Haitians rely on charcoal and firewood to cook their daily meals. As a result, the nation is experiencing extreme deforestation over the years and an estimate reveals that it has been reduced to 2% of the earlier cover. Furthermore, the polluting fuels like wood, charcoal, dung, coal and petroleum have shortened the average lifespan of Haitians by 6.6 years due to the illness caused by household air pollution. In Haiti, POET in association with Project Gaia will replace wood-burning stoves with clean, ethanol-fueled cook stoves. Jeff Broin, the founder and Executive Chairman of POET has donated 12,000 gallons of ethanol of which 6,200 gallons have passed the Haitian customs in December 2014. Dometic, another partner of the project would supply locally made ethanol stoves and 'Novogaz' will be responsible for its distribution. "POET Bio refining - Jewell' will produce the needed ethanol.

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This picture illustrate the situation most Haitians find themselves when the price of fuel price increases. This includes any petroleum product.

Will Haitian Government Risk Adjusting Fuel Prices?

Beginning in January 2010 Haiti stopped adjusting fuel prices fearing economic instability. Instead it subsidized fuel increases.

Haiti is increasing its deficit by selling fuel to the Dominican Republican (DR) at 20% per gallon less than what the DR pays for its own fuel.

The government of Haiti cannot continue to let the deficit climb, but it is reluctant to adjust fuel prices because it will cause social unrest and rouse the opposition.

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Gasoline affect many thing in Haiti. Due to the economic condition of the population, the Haitian Government has been subsidizing the price of petroleum products in the country. This practice was able to maintain a level of stability for many years. However, the Government of Michel Martelly has made the decision not to subsidize the price of gasoline and to let the price fluctuated based on the international market

There is one major problem with this. There has not been any improvement in the economic situation of the Haitian population. The unemployment rate remains at over 70 percent

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