Thailand ranks eighth in biofuel production

Thailand is now ranked eighth out of 63 countries in terms of biofuel production, a senior Ministry of Energy official said. Deputy Director-General Thawarat Sutabutr of the Department of Alternative Energy Development and Efficiency said that the Renewable Energy Network for the 21st Century, a network under the United Nations Environment Program, ranked Thailand as eighth along with Spain, worldwide, and second in Asia, after China, in terms of biofuel production. Production of both ethanol and biodiesel as alternative fuels has been encouraged in Thailand since 2006 and the production of both alternative energies has risen steadily. Currently, the country produces 1.2 million liters of ethanol and 1.8 million liters of biodiesel daily. (April 13, 2010)