(EnergyAsia, January 7, Wednesday) — The Philippines has started up its first ethanol plant, a 27,000 litre/day facility in Leyte.
The 300-million-peso plant, a converted sugar mill, is a joint venture between Philippine Agribusiness Development Corp (PADC) and India’s Praj, which provided the technology. (US$1 =47 peso).

Praj supplied the distillation column and injected 33 million peso in cash into the project.

The owners of several Philippine sugar mills are mulling plans to turn their facilities into ethanol plants amid difficult conditions in the sugar markets.

Meanwhile, another firm, San Carlos Bioenergy, is planning to build a grassroots 100,000 litre/day ethanol plant in Negros Occidental.