State-owned refiner PetroVietnam will start test runs at its 100 million mt/year Dung Quat fuel-grade ethanol plant on January 6, a source close to the company said Thursday.
If the test run was successful, the plant will be started up fully by January 18, the source added.
The plant managed by PetroVietnam Central Biofuels, is one of three planned by PetroVietnam ahead of an expected mandate requiring 5% of all gasoline sold in the country to be ethanol-blended by 2013.
PetroVietnam plans to bring on stream another 100 million liter/year fuel ethanol plant in the northern Phu Tho province. That plant will be managed by subsidiary PetroVietnam BioChem Joint Stock Company.
The third 100 million liter/year fuel ethanol plant, managed by another PetroVietnam subsidiary, Orient BioFuels, and located in the southern province of Binh Phuoc, is expected to be brought online in the second quarter of 2012.
PetroVietnam plans to export 85% of its production after starting up its ethanol units, the rest to be sold in the domestic market. It plans to reduce exports to 20-30% after 2013, a source told Platts earlier.
