New Philippine ethanol plant to begin production in May

Universal Robina Corp will initiate the start-up of a new ethanol plant in May.

The Philippine company had initially planned for production at the $35 million (€25 million) plant to begin in March, but it has since been pushed back by two months.

The ethanol plant, which is expected to produce 30 million litres of ethanol a year, will be placed on the company’s sugar facility at Manjuyod in the Negros Oriental province.

The plant will run on blackstrap molasses, a by-product of sugar.

The Philippines expects the plant to increase the country's ethanol capacity to 163 million litres a year.

The Ethanol Producers Association of the Philippines shows that this figure currently sits at 133 million litres a year.