Binh Son Oil Refining fast tracks construction of ethanol plant

Binh Son Oil Refining & Petrochemical Co. Ltd., an affiliate of the state-run Vietnam Oil and Gas Group (PetroVietnam), is speeding up construction of the Dung Quat ethanol production plant in the central province of Quang Ngai, to enable it to conduct a trial run in October. The plant in the Binh Thuan commune of Binh Son district is the biggest biofuel plant in central Vietnam and is capable of refining 250,000 tons of dry cassava into 100,000 cubic meters of ethanol a year. The plant, with total investment of VND2.2 trillion (US$104.76 million) in the first phase, can also produce 1,500 tons of industrial alcohol, 30,000 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) and 120 types of additives for animal feed production per day. Vietnam’s demand for ethanol is forecast to hit 300 million liters in 2012, 457 million liters in 2015, 687 million liters in 2020 and one billion liters in 2025. (April 18, 2011)