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Home / Bioethanol / News Financial Express: Aiming for alternate fuels
Describing Brazil, Russia, India and China (Bric) as a unique group' of fastest emerging markets; New Delhi has sought closer quadrilateral cooperation to ensure energy security and development of clean and efficient technologies. The four countries remain significant for energy players. However, new research points out the fact that, while these opportunities are substantial, major challenges need to be overcome if these opportunities are to be successfully commercialised. The Bric markets are heavily intensive and big energy consumers. Despite accounting for just 9% of global GDP, the Bric markets consume 27% of the world's primary energy, 17% of its oil, 19% of its gas demand and around half of global coal demand. With the continuous growth in energy demand, it is becoming increasingly clear that reliance on fossil fuels such as oil and coal as the principle source of energy is an unsustainable long-term position.
This has lead to a robust development and increasing adoption of renewable energy sources-solar power, wind power, hydroelectricity/micro hydro, biomass and bio-fuels for transportation-within these markets. Russia is one of the largest producers of hydrocarbons and Brazil of bio-fuel while India and China are major importers of energy resources for their growing economies. «Our energy companies could closely cooperate to play a role in the development of clean and efficient technologies and alternative sources of renewable energy,» says external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee. According to senior officials in the ministry of external affairs (MEA), Bric is a unique group' of fastest emerging markets of the world where over 40% of the humanity lives on 30% landmass of the planet. China, India and Brazil, three of the four Bric countries apart from Russia, are the world's top 10 energy consumers and are home to 40% of the world's population. The three now account for more than half of all energy demand by developing countries. The World Bank says they will be responsible for 42% of growth in energy demand worldwide by 2030. Analysts say, «Energy efficiency is critical in the three countries for reasons of energy supply security, economic competitiveness, improvement in livelihoods and environmental sustainability.» Currently, the main obstacles to getting energy efficiency off the ground are inadequate organisational and institutional systems as well as access to necessary funds. Still, there is gradual improvement in the three countries in terms of energy efficiency, they add. As countries move to strengthen their energy security by increasing their use of bio-fuels, efforts should be made to ensure poor people's and small farmers' participation in the creation of a more sustainable energy system. With sound technology and trade policies, win-win solutions are possible with bio-fuels in developing countries and positive outcomes for the poor as well as for energy efficiency. According to United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) report 2007, in the production of bio-ethanol, state corporations like PetroChina have a much lesser role as compared with several local and small producers. The private sector is also showing a keen interest in ethanol production. Tianguan Group, for example, set up an ethanol production plant with the capacity of 1,00,000 tpy, based on rice as feedstock. Another major player, Gushan Environment Energy, went public and generated $200 million from the Hong Kong market for its bio-diesel production facility. Some of the Chinese companies, with the help of the national government, are establishing bio-fuel production facilities in many other counties. One such company invested about $90 million in Nigeria for the production of 1,50,000 metric tonnes of Cassava-based bio-ethanol. The Chinese government would provide 85% of the project cost to the Chinese company while 15% would come from the Nigerian government. While the individual governments may take interest in promoting regionally or internationally acceptable standards for the bio-fuels, Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean) is currently considering a draft for such regional standards.
Date: 11.06.2008 Comments:Leave your comment
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Unparalleled accuracy, uneuqvoiacl clarity, and undeniable importance!
Unparalleled accuracy, uneuqvoiacl clarity, and undeniable importance!, 28.12.2011 10:55:48