Pakistan Ethanol Production to Reduce Oil Imports

Islamabad, Pakistan | April 14, 2008 by D-8 Secretariat

The Pakistan Sugar Mills Association (PSMA) said that the introduction of ethanol production will reduce the country’s fuel bill by $500 million (€326 million) and improve the country’s balance of trade.

The association’s chairman said that the focus on molasses production and export would result in less export earnings than the offset effect of reducing oil importation costs through production of sugarcane ethanol.

Pakistan oil marketing companies have called for Pakistan to explore alternatives to ethanol. Oil shortages are most acute in the diesel market. Pakistan, which is facing up to $11 billion in oil imports, had formed the country’s ethanol task force to investigate the production of 65,000 tonnes of biofuels required to fulfill a 5% ethanol mandate.

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