INDONESIA: $22 Billion on Biofuels by 2010

From Biopact blog comes this article spotlighting the aggressive policies taken by the Indonesian government to develop a robust biofuels industry. Compared to the relative complacency of the American government, it is interesting to see how ambitiously Indonesia is willing to invest in developing new technologies, feedstocks, and infrastructure to meet its needs in the new millennium.

-------------------

Indonesia to spend a massive US$22 Billion by 2010 to Promote Biofuels


OPEC member Indonesia, a future Biofuels Superpower, has given more details [*Bahasa Indonesia] about its previously announced bioenergy crash program (earlier post). The country plans to invest a massive Rupee 200 trillion (€17.3 bn / US$22 bn) over the next five years to promote the use of alternative fuels using crops such as palm oil, cassava, jatropha and sugar cane for the production of biodiesel and ethanol Energy Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro said.

About $6 billion will be spent securing 6 million hectares (14.8 million acres) of land, in an as-yet-unspecified location, and the rest will fund factories, roads and other supporting services, he said. Plant-based fuels can be mixed with gasoline, diesel and kerosene, now subsidized by the government.

Read more...


technorati Biopact, bioenergy, Indonesia, investment, feedstock, capacity, biofuels