MANILA, Philippines - Ethanol production in the country remains scarce, leaving oil firms no choice but to import overseas to comply with the government’s E10 requirement for gasoline, according to a study by a United Nations arm.
An official from the Department of Energy (DOE) said even with additional ethanol plants, local production remains insufficient.
“Even with new ethanol plants onstream by next year, our local production remains insufficient. We need more investments,” said Mario Marasigan, OIC director of the Renewable Energy Management Bureau.
In its latest study, the United Nations Conference on Trade Development (UNCTAD) said the country sources around 70 percent of its ethanol requirement abroad.
In 2012, for instance, according to UNCTAD, the country produced only 85 million liters of ethanol. This represents 30 percent of total local demand.