Thai Petro Green ethanol exports to Philippines to increase in 2012

Petro Green, Thailand’s largest producer and exporter of fuel-grade ethanol, plans to almost double the company’s export volume in 2012. Petro Green exports 4,000 to 5,000 cu m, around 20% of its monthly production, to the Philippines. It has plans to raise its export volume to 30-40% of production, or 8,000 to 10,000 cu m. Demand for fuel-grade ethanol in Thailand is expected to fall because of a smaller price gap between gasoline and gasohol, despite changes in the Thailand Oil Fund scheme as well as the increase in subsidies for ethanol-blended gasoline. On the other hand, demand for fuel-grade ethanol in the Philippines is expected to rise after the full implementation of the E20 mandate on February 6, 2012. Petro Green has plants in Phukieo, Kuchinarai, Suphanburi and Tak. Each of the four plants in Thailand has a capacity to produce 240 million liters/year of fuel-grade ethanol. (September 2, 2011)