The Bangkok Post
BUSINESS NEWS - Wednesday 01 September 2004
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ENERGY - ALTERNATIVE FUELS
Four deals signed to boost biofuel ventures
YUTHANA PRAIWAN
Four accords were signed yesterday to promote the development of biofuels
as an alternative energy source in Thailand, evidence of the shift in
government policy aimed at reducing the nation's dependence on costly imported
oil.
The signing ceremony took place as Bangkok hosted a two-day international
conference titled ``Biofuel: Challenges for Asia's Future'' at the Queen
Sirikit National Convention Centre, which ended yesterday.
First signed was a memorandum of understanding between Thailand's ACG
Group, a leading food supplement and cosmetics producer, and Bayer
Technological Service Co of Germany to study a project to produce palm oil for
blending with diesel oil.
Jompoj Pijitpakdeekul, the president of ACG, said the group planned to
invest about two billion baht to build a palm oil extraction plant with the
German firm supplying machinery, technology and marketing expertise for the
project.
The plant's proposed extraction output will be between 100,000 and
300,000 litres per year. The project will also require that palm plantations be
raised by 10,000 to 20,000 rai in the Southern provinces.
The study, due to be completed in six months, will seek financing from
state-run Krung Thai Bank and the Government Savings Bank for the plant's
construction.
The second agreement signed was between the Thai Sugar Miller Co-op of
Thailand and Unica, the Portuguese acronym for the Sao Paulo Sugarcane
Agroindustry Union, to co-operate on technology transfers and management
know-how.
Prakit Prateepasen, the chairman of the Thai sugar firm, said the
co-operation agreement would help improve ethanol production efficiency.
The third deal signed was between PTT Plc and Coimex Trading Co, Brazil's
largest commodity trading company which focuses on international trade in
sugar, ethanol, coffee, meat, corn, soybeans and byproducts, to co-operate in
expanding Asia's ethanol market.
PTT president Prasert Bunsumpun said the co-operation will initially
involve the establishment of a local standard for blending gasohol _ a mixture
of ethanol and petrol _ for fuelling the region's vehicles.
Finally, an agreement was signed between PTT and Petron, the Philippine
national energy firm, to co-operate in research and development of gasohol and
biodiesel for vehicles in both countries.
Captain Samai Jai-in, chief of the Naval Dockyard Department's research
and development division, said his department, in co-operation with the Bangkok
Metropolitan Administration and the Energy Ministry, would use biodiesel on a
trial basis in about 1,000 city buses, especially the old ones and those
belching out black smoke, by the end of this year. The fuel will be a mix of
20% palm oil and diesel.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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