Japan-based Itochu Corp is to collaborate with PetroVietnam for the production of bioethanol in Vietnam. Earlier this year the Vietnamese government began testing E5 and is now looking for the ethanol blend to be introduced by 2012.
With this in mind PetroVietnam has developed a project that will see three new bioethanol production facilities come online in two years’ time. These three plants will have an annual combined capacity of 300,000kl.
Of these three facilities Itochu and PetroVietnam are partnering for the one located in the southern province of Binh Phuoc.
Construction has already commenced at this site and is costing an estimate 10 billion yen (€90.57 million). When operations commence in 2012 it will convert cassava plants into 100,000kl of bioethanol a year.
