Philippines to build bio-ethanol plant

Will reduce its dependency on imported ethanol.

The ethanol distillery plant is being built by Universal Robina Corporation, a leading food company, and will cost some US$35 million. It is to begin operating in 2014.

The plant, located in the province of Negros Oriental in the Visayas region, will produce ethanol from blackstrap molasses, which is a by-product of sugar processing.

It will have a production capacity of 30 million liters of ethanol fuel per year. The mandatory use of ethanol blended fuel will reduce the Philippines’ annual petroleum imports of 536 million liters and save US$404 million.