Dong Xanh inaugurated biological fuel ethanol refinery in Quang Nam

Vietnam News Service reported that the Dong Xanh (Green Field) Joint stock company has inaugurated a biological fuel ethanol refinery in the central province of Quang Nam, making it the first green fuel producer in Viet Nam.

The Dai Loc Ethanol Refinery, built at a cost of more than VND 600 billion, has an annual capacity of 100,000 tonnes of ethanol or 125 million liters. It will make ethanol from cassava grown by farmers in the region.

The factory has carried out test-runs since September last year, rolling out 12,000 tonnes of ethanol so far for both domestic use and export.

Once running at full blast, it will employ more than 300 work hands and provide well paid incomes for about 20,000 local cassava growers.

Leftovers from cassava used to produce ethanol will be recycled into biological fertilizers to be sold to local farmers at prices lower than the market average.

As a result, Quang Nam and its neighboring city of Da Nang now has six petrol stations where E5 petrol (which has 5% ethanol) is available, out of a national total of 40 petrol stations selling this clean energy.

The refinery has planned to provide green fuel for some 200 retail points nationwide by the end of this year.

The Prime Minister's biofuel development program, ratified in November 2007, targets ethanol production nationwide of over 250,000 tonnes per year by 2015 and 1.5 million tonnes per year by 2025.

The nation is also seeking foreign investment in at least 20 projects to increase biofuels production, as well as official development assistance funds to promote development of the alternative fuels sector.

(Sourced from Vietnam News Service)