Brunei National Petroleum looks to partner with the Philippines on biofuels

It seems that the biofuels industry continues to expand with the news this week that Brunei National Petroleum Co. is looking to partner with the Philippine National Oil Co. (PNOC) to build a biodiesel plant in the Philippines. Recently at an Asean Council on Petroleum meeting in Indonesia, PNOC officials revealed that they have received expressions of interest from several possible investors to pursue biofuels development.

PNOC president Pedro Aquino Jr. has discussed biofuels development with the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, especially in regards to the feedstocks of sweet sorghum for ethanol production, and jatropha curcas for biodiesel.

Analysis: Biofuels represent a huge opportunity to emerging economies to enhance their agricultural sector, and the lives of their farmers, while reducing costly oil imports. The Philippines in particular has shown a great willingness to pursue a biofuels strategy as an opportunity to encourage poor farmers not to fell forest timbers to escape poverty.

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[Source: ABS CBN Interactive]

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