Ethanol plant produces first batch of bio-fuel

QUANG NGAI — Dung Quat Bio-Ethanol Plant, located in the Dung Quat Industrial Zone in the central province of Quang Ngai, turned out its first batch of bio-ethanol E100 last week after 33 months of construction and trial operations.

The VND2 trillion (US$95.2 million) plant has a yearly designed capacity of 100 million litres of ethanol.

Ho Sy Long, the plant's director, said 10 per cent of the product would be used to produce Ethanol Fuel E5 while the remainder would be exported to ASEAN members, especially to the Philippines.

Long added that under its commitment, the plant would contribute to rural economic growth by consuming 17,000 hectares of cassava as soon as it came into stable operation. This scheme would create opportunities for local farmers to change their cultivation structure.

The plant is expected to meet domestic demand for bio-petrol, contributing to fuel savings and reducing environmental pollution while helping local farmers raise their income.

Eighty per cent of the 237 labourers employed so far by the plant have been local people.

The plant is scheduled to run at 65 per cent of its designed capacity (200 cubic metres a day) for one month before beginning full operations.

It will be handed over to the Central Petroleum Bio-ethanol Joint Stock Company, the investor, by the end of next month and inaugurated in May.

Construction of the plant began in April 2009. — VNS

source: vietnamnews