Vietnam’s Dung Quat ethanol plant online after three-year hiatus

In Vietnam, after being offline for three years, the controversial Dung Quat ethanol plant resumed production over the weekend in a run-up to commercial production following tweaks that will be made later in the month after the trial run. Only 2,000 metric tons will be produced during the initial start up phase, then another 7,000 tons are expected before years end, eventually ramping up to 35,000 tons per month, using cassava as feedstock. The investors who came on board in June to get the plant back up and running will also provide feedstock as well as market the ethanol produced during the next 10 years.