5:18:29 PM | 25/8/2008
The Petrochemical and Bio Fuel JS Company (PVB), under PV Oil, has got a license from northern Phu Tho province to build a US$80 million ethanol production plant, the Thoi Bao Kinh Te Vietnam reported August 22.
Covering over 50 hectares of land in Tam Nong district, the plant has an annual designed capacity of turning out 100,000 cubic meters of C2H5OH ethanol with at least 99.7 per cent purity from cassava and sugarcane, the paper said.
An farming area of 35,000 hectares will be formed up to ensure sufficient input materials (dried cassava and sugarcane juice) for the plant, which will start operation in the fourth quarter next year with 23,000 jobs to be created.
As scheduled, PVB will sign a contract with the Hanoi Taxi Company to pilot the plant's products of ethanol E5 (gasohol) and biodiesel B5 on taxis in Sept this year.
The first biofuel project in Vietnam is the underway US$19.18 million Dau Tan Ethanol alcohol plant, which was kicked off in April 2007 in Dai Tan industrial zone in Dai Loc district.
It is expected to produce 100,000 tons of food and fuel alcohols, and over 40,000 tons of supporting products a year in the first phase, which will help Vietnam save between 7 per cent and 10 per cent of spending on imported petroleum products each year.
Ethanol will be used not only as a partial replacement of petroleum energy, but also as a clean and environment-friendly energy source. Ethanol’s CO2 emissions can be reduced 50 per cent more than normal petrol, helping reduce pollution caused by industry and transportation.
Production research on biological ethanol fuel is a top priority as Vietnam heavily depends on imported petrol.
Every year, Vietnam has to import an average of 13 million tons of petrol, three million of which are used for social and economic development. The country needs 300,000 tons of ethanol to meet the demand of a 10 per cent ethanol mix into the number above.
Vietnam is forecast to consume nearly 70 million tons of oil equivalents by 2015. (Vietnam Economic Times, Labor)