|
By Euan Paulo C. Añonuevo, Reporter
PREPARE for a biofuel boom, as investments in
this sector are expected to jump in the next two years, according to
a Department of Energy official.
Mario C. Marasigan, energy director for energy
utilization, said that a number of foreign firms, through tie ups
with local companies, plan to construct up to 15 biofuel refining
facilities in the country worth a combined P20 billion.
“We’re looking at 10 ethanol facilities that
will be put up in the next two years and an additional five
biodiesel refineries,” he said.
Although the government official failed to
divulge the name of the companies, he said that most of the
potential investors are local, but with partnerships with
“Europeans, Australian, Chinese, Indians and even our South East
Asian neighbors.”
He also noted another four to five pending
applications with the energy department for proposed biodiesel
feedstock plantations.
The department also endorsed to the Board of
Investments, Securities and Exchange Commission and even the
Philippine Economic Zone Authority a number of companies planning to
venture into biofuel feedstock production, such as sweet sourgum.
Marasigan said the Philippines is also receiving
a lot of proposals for jatropha plantations but to ensure there is
no conflict between food and fuel “we can only entertain
application for areas in marginal lands or the non productive
lands.”
Under the Biofuels Act of 2006, diesel sold at
the pumps should be blended with 1 percent biodiesel, which will be
increased to 2 percent in 2009. Gasoline should have a mix of 5
percent bioethanol in 2009, which will be hiked to 10 percent in
2011.
Marasigan said the energy department is looking
at increasing the bioethanol requirement up to 5 percent to 10
percent within 10 years.
“If we do increase, we are looking forward
that jatropha can give us a higher percentage of biodiesel. Of
course we cannot discount that there may still be some surplus in
our coconut industry,” he added.
At present, the country’s milling capacity for
biodiesel is around 280 million liters, more or less equivalent to a
3-percent blend.
|
