New ethanol plant in the Philippines to open in June

The opening of Green Future Innovations’ US$120-million plant in Isabela, in the northern area of Luzon, in the Philippines, was postponed to June due to bad weather. The integrated facility will include a sugarcane plantation, an ethanol plant and a cogeneration power plant. The company said it will need about PHP1.6 billion (US$37.3 million) a year to source feedstock from local farmers. The bioethanol plant is expected to supply ethanol to oil companies, which will use it to meet the mandated 10% ethanol blend for gasoline. The Philippines will need about 460 million liters of ethanol once the 10% mandate is strictly implemented. The government has not fully implemented the mandate because of concerns that the ethanol blend will not be suitable for some engines, but it had earlier said it needs 13 more ethanol plants to meet existing demand. Japan’s Itochu Corporation and JGC Corporation are the major investors in Green Future Innovations. Other investors include the Taiwanese holding company, GCO, and the Philippine Bioethanol and Energy Investments Corporation (PBEIC). (March 14, 2012)