Philippine bioethanol producers await 10% ethanol mandate

Bioethanol producers in Philippines are waiting for the implementation of a mandate which requires that 10% of all gasoline sold in the country be blended with bioethanol on August 6. Industry sources indicate that as many as 16 bioethanol projects are in the planning stages. One fuel-grade bioethanol and cogeneration plant about to begin operation is a joint venture between Japan’s Itochu, JGC, Taiwan’s GCO, and Philippine Bioethanol and Energy Partners. Green Futures Innovation is a 54 million liter per year plant which cost US$138.2 million to build. It will be the country’s largest bioethanol plant. Green Futures will use sugar cane as feedstock. Cavite Biofuels is set to begin construction on a 45 million liter per year fuel-grade bioethanol plant in Cavite in 2011. The plant is to be sugar cane-based, but the company is also looking at red sorghum as a possible feedstock. The Cavite plant is expected to cost approximately US$78 million. Under consideration is a bioethanol plant to be built by Eastern Petroleum’s subsidiary Eastern Renewable Fuel and Commodities Trading Corp. The 100,000 liter per day plant is expected to be located at Kalinga. Construction is slated to begin in 2013. The plant will be cassava based. It is estimated that the plant will cost US$41.1 million. (March 9, 2011)