RP company taps Indian firm to build biofuel plant

MANILA, Philippines - Roxol Bioenergy Corp., the bioethanol arm of listed sugar company Roxas Holdings Inc., on Monday announced that it has tapped an Indian company to set up its plant in Negros Occidental. In a statement to the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE), Roxas Holdings said the plant would cost about P1 billion. The bioethanol facility, which will have a production capacity of 100,000 liters a day, is expected to be completed by yearend or early 2010. The company added that RBC contracted KBK Chem-Engineering Pvt. Ltd. to design, build, and activate the production facilities and equipment for the plant. KBK Chem-Engineering provides “tailor-made turnkey solutions in the field of distilleries, ethanol, biofuels and cogeneration power systems" for companies in India, Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia Vietnam, Myanmar, Africa, East Europe and Latin America. The facilities and equipment for RBC’s plant include the fermentation and distillation in ethanol production, wastewater treatment, slops concentration, product storage as well as the steam boiler and turbo-generator components. The plant will be located next to Central Azucarera de La Carlota Inc. in La Carlota City, a sugar mill owned by CADP Group Corp., a subsidiary of Roxas Holdings. Last year, the listed company disclosed plans to enter into the energy sector through manufacturing fuel ethanol after a law was passed mandating the use of locally-sourced biofuels. - GMANews.TV