Mitr Phol’s Ethanol Defies ASEAN, Expanding Production Line to Pharmaceutical and Chemical Industries
In favor of use of ethanol, Mitr Phol Group will quickly abandon gasolhol 91 and expand its production of ethanol to reach 410 million liters per year. Bucking the oversupply trend, the company is now promoting an export to China, South Korea and Japan.
Mr. Sakol Saeng-arun, Director of Ethanol Center of Mitr Phol Group
The director of Ethanol Center of Mitr Phol Group Mr. Sakol Saeng-arun said that, although the overall price of ethanol in Thailand tended to be stable, domestic use of ethanol seemed to increase, especially some target industries promoted by the Thai government. As ethanol can serve as a precursor substance that adds more value, the government should not reduce its proportion.
Concerned with the increasing use of ethanol in Thai markets, particularly target industries boosted by the government for the upcoming round of investment, the big sugar manufacturer of Thailand is exploring possibilities to expand and strengthen its manufacture of specially graded ethanol products for pharmaceutical and chemical industries to facilitate new kinds of industrial business according to the Thailand 4.0 policy. In addition, the company has already proposed public sectors to use more ethanol instead of gasohol 91, with possibility to upgrade it to E20 and E85.
ได้เดินทางไปเข้าร่วมงานมอบรางวัล ASEAN Energy Awards 2018 เมื่อ 29 ตุลาคม 2561 ณ ประเทศสิงคโปร์
โดย Mr. Dato Lim Jock Hoi ตำแหน่งเลขาธิการอาเซียน เป็นผู้มอบรางวัล
In terms of Mitr Phol Group, ethanol production will increase from 391 million liters in 2018 to 410 million liters in 2019. Simply speaking, production capacity will be boosted for more proportion of export. Because prices of raw materials like molasses and cassava seem to drop, their oversupply is as inevitable as in the previous year.
“Mitr Phol Group has its own raw materials to produce energy, resulting in low cost of production. Consequently, we are preparing to strengthen production capacity for more export to China, South Korea, Japan and ASEAN member countries. Still, we need to consider appropriate price range,” said Mr. Sakol.
Currently, the ethanol factory of Mitr Phol Biofuel Co. Ltd. under supervision of Mitr Phol Group is located in Phu Khiew, Kalasin, Dan Chang and Mae Sod. The first factory’s ethanol production capacity is 500,000 liters per day; the second’s 230,000 liters per day; the third’s 200,000 liters per day; the last one’s 230,000 liters per day. In total, all the four factories are able to produce 1.1 million liters of ethanol per day, an equivalent to 380 million liters per year, the amount that ranks the company the first manufacturer of ethanol for ASEAN.
In 2018, Mitr Phol Group won the first prize for the 18th ASEAN Energy Award 2018 in Singapore for the category of renewable energy under the biofuel project. It was praised by introducing an effective and energy-saving technology from France to its factories, reducing emission of 127,000 tons of carbon dioxide per year. Such is a major policy on environmental care to live sustainably with local community.
