Vietnam: North gets first bio-ethanol firm

Construction kicked off on the first bio-ethanol factory in the northern region yesterday (June 21, 2009) in Phu Tho Province. The US$80 million state-of-the-art factory will have an annual capacity of 100,000cu.m of ethanol and was appreciated by Secretary of the Party Central Committee and National Assembly Vice Chairwoman Tong Thi Phong. According to Director Vu Thanh Ha of the Petrochemical and Biofuel Joint Stock Company (PVB), the project, which will be jointly implemented by PVB and contractors led by the Petro Vietnam Construction Joint Stock Company (PVC), may be operational by December next year. “The project will also generate jobs, a stable income for local residents, and contribute to alleviating poverty in the region,” Ha said. The project would help meet the increasing domestic demand for ethanol, which is currently produced on a small scale with outdated technology and an unstable source of materials, said Ha. According to global energy corporations, by 2012, world supplies of ethanol will have increased to 79.3 billion litres and the utilisation rate of ethanol as fuel will have increased to 85 per cent. (June 24, 2009)