Ethanol fuel available in Negros Occidental by year-end
BACOLOD CITY -- The delivery of the country's first locally-produced sugarcane fuel grade ethanol by year-end will mark a new era in the government's quest for energy self-sufficiency using alternative source of energy.
San Carlos Bionergy Inc., the country's first integrated ethanol distillery and power cogeneration plant is scheduled to officially present to the public its first liters of ethanol during the fourth quarter of this year. The plant has the capacity to mill 2,000 TCD of sugarcane to produce 125, 000 liters of ethanol per day and approximately 8MW of power, according to its website.
The ethanol it produces is seen to contribute significantly to the country's total requirement for a 5 % gasoline-ethanol blend.
Believed by some to give life to the uncertain rewards from sugar planting, alternative energy prime mover Sen. Miguel Zubiri predicts the revival of the old glory days of Negros Occ. when sugar planters reaped huge profits from their produce and gained national prominence for their wealth and classy lifestyles.
The entry of the Bioenergy in San Carlos City, 144 kilometers north of the province' capital Bacolod City, is a result of President G. Macapagal arroyo's aggressive moves to entice foreign investors in bringing clean energy technology into the country that signals the government's shift from fossil fuel to sustainable power using indigenous materials.
In her 2005 State of the Nation Address (SONA), Pres. Arroyo called on congress to pass the legislation encouraging renewable and indigenous energy. The following year, 2006, Republic Act No. 9637 or the "Biofuels Law" was signed on July 24.
Recently, Pres. Arroyo announced the country is now ready to shift into higher gear its bio-fuel energy program in a bid to end the country's dependence to imported crude oil.
Along with the development of other alternative sources of energy is the long- term plan to venture into extracting fuel from Jatropha curcas (kasla in the Hiligaynon dialect). The president is expected to inspect 1,800 hectares of Jatropha planted in the different parts of the country including a 5,000 hectare in Cadiz City, this province. (Lorenzo O. Lambatin/PIA)