Philippines considers new center to increase foreign direct investment in biofuels

In the Philippines, the Inquirer is reporting that “the Department of Energy is considering putting up a one-stop shop that will facilitate the entry of local and foreign investors in the country’s biofuels industry.” The country has three ethanol plants with a capacity of 20 million gallons, and Energy Undersecretary Jose M. Layug Jr. told the Inquirer that capacity built to date only handled a fraction of the 400 million liter demand. With the new proposed center, the country hopes to boost foreign direct investment. Meanwhile, the Philippine DOE has proposed to increase ethanol blending to 20 percent, from 10 percent today, and boost biodiesle blends to 10 percent from B2 blends today.