South Korea makes headway with biodiesel

South Korea is beating Japan and China in its push into the emerging biodiesel industry, thanks to a government mandate that has opened a small but expanding market for the green fuel from Southeast Asia. Malaysian leader Golden Hope Plantations Bhd, which is building facilities in Malaysia and the Netherlands, announced plans to build a 150,000 ton per year biodiesel plant in Yeosu with South Korea’s H-Plus Bio Ltd. Conglomerate Samsung Corp. has stolen a march on Japanese trading rivals with plans to set up a 200,000 ton per year jatropha-fueled biodiesel plant, together with a subsidiary of Philippine National Oil Co. (PNOC). (September 28, 2006)