The Daily Biofuels Summary for August 27

Top Story: Business Week reports that as biofuels take hold, agricultural companies such as Archer-Daniels-Midland are beginning to act more like energy companies. Archer-Daniels-Midland earns 25% of its operating profit from biofuels, according to the report.

Producers: Ethanex Energy is developing a 132 million gallon per year ethanol plant to be co-located with an electric utility in NE Kansas….In Michigan, Swedish company Chemrec AB and Ohio-based NewPage Corporation have announced a joint venture to explore development of a biofuels plant at the NewPage paper mill in Escanaba, Michigan….In Texas, farmer cooperative owned Illinois River Energy LLC has begun construction activity on a planned plant expansion at the company’s existing fuel ethanol plant.

International: In India, Sugar maker Shree Renuka Sugars on Friday said it has acquired an ethanol plant for $1.5 million from Dhanuka Cold Storage. The plant has an installed capacity of 8 million gallons per year, and the new owners plan to increase capacity to 20 million gallons per year….In Malaysia, IJM Plantations has announced its plans to construct an 8 million gallons per year biodiesel facility. The company will later triple that production….also in Malaysia, Mission Biofuels Ltd has completed construction of its 27 million gallon biodiesel Plant at Kuantan Port. Biodiesel is expected to begin shipping at the end of September….In the Philippines, The new National Biofuels Board has been given an initial budget of $1.9 million to promote biofuels in the Philippines ….PetroSun BioFuels Mexico was formed to to establish algae-based biodiesel in Sonora, Mexico. PetroSun intends to establish 1,000 algae cultivation pods that will produce up to 2.56 billion gallons of algal oil per year. An algae pod is 1 square mile in size.

Policy: Centre Daily reports on the continuing food vs. fuel debate, identifying problems in associating the rise of food prices with biofuel-based increases in demand….The director for the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research called for development of new crop varieties, such as drought-resistant rice, to provide for fuel and food demand. Reuters blamed unfavorably dry or wet weather in Australia, North America and Europe for international wheat prices hovering near 11-year highs.

Research:The News Virginian reports on the merits of sugar-based ethanol vs. corn. A 2006 report created by the Agriculture Department and Louisiana State University found that ethanol produced from sugar cane cost 2.5 times ethanol made from corn….In South Africa, National Agricultural Marketing Council blames biofuels for food prices increases. The council reported price increases between July 2006 and July 2007 of 39 percent for cheddar cheese prices. Other increases included 26 percent for milk, 21 percent for maize, 46 percent for pork chops and 32 percent for cooking oil.

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