Thailand’s ethanol manufacturing efficiency improves

Siriwut Siembhakdi, president of Thai Ethanol Manufacturing Association (TEMA), revealed that the Energy Ministry has called for a meeting with ethanol manufacturers to discuss about the current ethanol situation regarding production capacity and price. Siriwut said that Thailand’s ethanol manufacturing efficiency has started to improve, with approximately 24.9 million liters of ethanol in stock. The ethanol price in the fourth quarter averaged 24.50 baht (US$0.73) per liter, which is comparable to the previous quarter. At present, there are 45 licensed ethanol manufacturers in Thailand, but only 15 are operational. The total daily capacity is 2.75 million liters, but actual production is only 1.5-1.7 million liters per day. (October 20, 2009)