The country’s ethanol producers assured to shore up domestic supply of the biofuel to 218 million liters by year 2011

The country’s ethanol producers assured to shore up domestic supply of the biofuel to 218 million liters by year 2011, just a little short of the estimated 220 million liters industry requirement within that specific timeframe.

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In an interview, Tetchi Cruz-Capellan, executive director of the Ethanol Producers Association of the Philippines (EPAP), bared that six ethanol production facilities are scheduled on stream between next year and the last quarter of 2011.

“The total capacity of these facilities will be more than 200 million liters, so we are confident that domestic supply will be there,” she stressed.

The year 2011 will be a crucial turning point for the country’s biofuels program since this is the time for full mandate on 10-percent blend for gasoline products; and this may already be carried at all pumps by then.

Number-crunching made by Philippine Sugar Millers Association executive director Archimedes B. Amarra, indicated that 18 distilleries with 100,000 liters capacity must be constructed to meet 2011 ethanol mandate. Total estimated investment hovered at P27 billion to P36 billion depending if the facilities would be constructed on an adjunct or stand-alone basis.

After the San Carlos Bioenergy and Leyte Agri Corporation facilities which have an aggregate capacity of 39 million liters to-date, Capellan disclosed that the next facility will be the 37-million capacity ethanol plant of Roxol Bioenergy Corporation in La Carlota, Negros Occidental.

The others which are targeted for groundbreaking next year would be the 54-million facility of Green Future Innovations Inc. The project is being undertaken with Japanese partners, Itochu Corporation and JGC Corporation of Japan.