Friday, February 09, 2007
China, the world's third-largest ethanol maker, will use 32.9 million
acres (13.3 million hectares) of forestland, equivalent to the size of
England, to grow trees that can be harvested to make bio-fuels.
China plans to grow trees bearing nuts or fruits high in oil content to
produce alternative fuels and boost farmers' incomes, Cao Qingyao, a
spokesman at the state forestry administration said, according to a
transcript of a press briefing in Beijing on Wednesday.
The world's second-biggest energy user may spend 1.5 trillion yuan ($192
billion) in the next 15 years to increase the use of renewable resources
to cut the nation's reliance on oil. The government will subsidize
biomass projects, especially those in bio-diesel and ethanol, the
ministry of finance said in November. "The project will help resolve
challenges to find replaceable energy and ensure the preservation of the
environment," Cao said in the transcript, which was posted on the
agency's web site on Wednesday. "It is a great channel for farmers and
bio-fuel makers to make money."
The state forest agency signed an agreement with PetroChina Co to
develop land to grow crops for bio-fuels in southwestern China's Yunnan
and Sichuan provinces, PetroChina said on January 11. Bio-fuels, which
include bio-diesel and bio-ethanol, are made from vegetable oils or
animal fats. They are blended with gasoline and diesel to reduce
pollution from vehicle engines.
Rising food demand in China competes with bio-fuels for farmland.
China's capacity for processing corn surged to 70 million tonne in 2006
from 50 million tonne in 2005, partly due to rising ethanol production.
© 2006: Indian Express Newspapers (Mumbai) Ltd.
Links:
* Source: The Financial Express
--
No comments:
Post a Comment