Foreign investors to build biofuel plant
Foreign investors from the United States, Australia and South Korea have expressed interest in building a biofuel plant with a capacity of two million kiloliters worth $500 million in Gorontalo province, Gorontalo Governor Fadel Muhammad said, Asia Pulse reported Tuesday.
"They said they were ready to invest (in biofuel in Goronotalo)," Fadel Muhammand said on the sidelines of the Indonesian Regional Investment Forum (IRIF) 2008 in Jakarta.
He said the Investment Coordinating Board (BPPM) had granted a license to the foreign investors to build a plant which would produce biofuel from jatropha curcas, maize and oil palm as raw materials.
"In order to meet their need for raw materials we have set aside 50,000 hectares of land for jatropha curcas, maize and oil palm plantations," the governor said.
He said his province's maize production capacity reached 750,000 tons annually and it was expected to reach one million tons in 2009.
Besides being exported to Malaysia and the Philippines, Gorontalo's maize production will also be used to produce biofuel, he said.
Pharmaceuticals company PT Kimia Farma and China's Green Food have also agreed to build a biofuel plant from jatropha curcas, Asia Pulse reported Wednesday.
Finance director of Kimia Farma Rusdi Rosman said both sides will meet in China on June 25 to discuss further details of the agreement on the $200 million project.
Kimia Farma president Syamsul Arifin said Kimia Farma and Green Food will soon carry out a feasibility study on the project.
Arifin said a plan is also being discussed to grow jatropha curcas in Sumbawa and East Kalimantan to guarantee feedstock for the factory.
"They said they were ready to invest (in biofuel in Goronotalo)," Fadel Muhammand said on the sidelines of the Indonesian Regional Investment Forum (IRIF) 2008 in Jakarta.
He said the Investment Coordinating Board (BPPM) had granted a license to the foreign investors to build a plant which would produce biofuel from jatropha curcas, maize and oil palm as raw materials.
"In order to meet their need for raw materials we have set aside 50,000 hectares of land for jatropha curcas, maize and oil palm plantations," the governor said.
He said his province's maize production capacity reached 750,000 tons annually and it was expected to reach one million tons in 2009.
Besides being exported to Malaysia and the Philippines, Gorontalo's maize production will also be used to produce biofuel, he said.
Pharmaceuticals company PT Kimia Farma and China's Green Food have also agreed to build a biofuel plant from jatropha curcas, Asia Pulse reported Wednesday.
Finance director of Kimia Farma Rusdi Rosman said both sides will meet in China on June 25 to discuss further details of the agreement on the $200 million project.
Kimia Farma president Syamsul Arifin said Kimia Farma and Green Food will soon carry out a feasibility study on the project.
Arifin said a plan is also being discussed to grow jatropha curcas in Sumbawa and East Kalimantan to guarantee feedstock for the factory.