"$120m ethanol plant operation postponed in Philippines"

[ghosthunter]

$120m ethanol plant operation postponed in Philippines
13/03/2012
By Diarmaid Williams
International Digital Editor

Green Future Innovations Inc. of Japan has decided to postpone the commissioning of a $120m ethanol and cogeneration facility in the Philippines to June after last year’s typhoons affected the plant’s construction.

Green Future, led by Itochu Corp. and Japan Gas Corp., said construction of the facility incurred slight delay on account of bad weather last year, although the plant was already 99 per cent complete.

The company had targeted the commissioning of the ethanol plant at the Isabela Ecofuel Agro-Industrial Ecozone in the first quarter of this year, reports Manila Standard Today.

The plant will generate 19 MW of renewable power, 13 MW of which will be delivered to the national grid.

SOURCE: $120m ethanol plant operation postponed in Philippines - Cogeneration & On-Site Power Production

Cogeneration, also known as Combined Heat & Power (CHP), is an inherently high-efficiency family of technologies to use fossil or renewable fuels to supply energy locally. Heat, power and cooling energy can be supplied to users ranging from individual homes up to large industrial sites and even areas of cities.

[uls]

the ethanol plant will use sugarcane as feedstock

[ghosthunter]

the ethanol plant will use sugarcane as feedstock

That would result in the food for fuel issue. Local price of sugar will definitely go up once it's running.

[uls]

to comply with 10% ethanol rule, the Phils. needs to produce more ethanol if we don't want to rely on imports

expect more ethanol plants to be put up

so expect more agricultural land to be allotted for producing crops for fuel instead of food

[ghosthunter]

the ethanol plant will use sugarcane as feedstock

Wasn't it some weed plant (that could grow on non-farmland quality soil) that was planned to be used for ethanol production before?

[ghosthunter]

to comply with 10% ethanol rule, the Phils. needs to produce more ethanol if we don't want to rely on imports

expect more ethanol plants to be put up

so expect more agricultural land to be allotted for producing crops for fuel instead of food

From what I know, we can produce just enough for some exports this year. We have been importing sugar in the past recent years. So if sugar cane will be used, would it be like going backwards?

[uls]

Wasn't it some weed plant (that could grow on non-farmland quality soil) that was planned to be used for ethanol production before?

alternative feedstock that isnt used as food

they call them cellulosic

some species of grass or switchgrass

[uls]

From what I know, we can produce just enough for some exports this year. We have been importing sugar in the past recent years. So if sugar cane will be used, would it be like going backwards?

that's the issue with biofuels

it competes with crop production for food

[uls]

let's say i put up an ethanol plant and my feedstock is sugarcane

i'll contract every farmer in the area to plant sugarcane

so instead of other crops, everyone will be planting sugarcane

so there will be shortage of whatever is not being planted

that's one thing

then let's say my demand for sugarcane is so strong that all the farmland in the area is already alloted to sugarcane production and it still isn't enough... farmers will then clear forests to increase farmland

burning down hectares of forest releases greenhouse gases... to produce biofuel that advocates say emit less greenhouse gases

did advocates ever consider that? hehehe

[loverlionus]

Di ba molasses, which is a by product of sugar production, ang ginagamit for ethanol production? So hindi naman mababawasan ang sugarcane in this case?