Manufacturers who invest in biogas technology to be used in their own plants could save 20% of their total investment by joining a new Energy Ministry programme.

The biogas promotion programme is sponsored by the Energy Conservation Fund, said Viraphol Jirapraditkul, the secretary-general of the Energy Policy and Planning Office (EPPO).

He said the biogas investment sponsorship that ends this month was the second programme and the office expected to see at least 60 factories apply. The total budget for the new phase is 204 million baht.

Authorities want to persuade industries to turn solid waste and waste water from production into methane gas or liquefied petroleum gas. The output from these processes would be the main fuels for generating electricity that can be used in plants.

The project also aims to cut the country's budget in eliminating wastes.

''To convince manufacturers to help the country develop renewable fuel, we have to provide financial support,'' Mr Viraphol said. ''Initial expenses such as consultants' fees, construction and equipment design fees would discourage them from [adopting] new technology.''

Solid waste that could be turned into methane includes wastes from palm oil, cassava, rubber and poultry, while waste water from ethanol and food processing plants is suitable for producing biogas as well.

Mr Viraphol said that large plants with a lot of waste from industrial processes would be able to produce fuel for power generation not only for themselves but also could sell surplus electricity back to the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (Egat).

The government expects biogas to replace mainstream fuels with a value of five billion baht a year by the end of 2011 and total output of 637.2 million cubic metres annually.

Mr Viraphol said that in the first promotion period there were 38 applicants with 32 eligible to receive financial sponsorship worth 316 million baht.

The 32 manufacturing plants produced 254 million cubic metres per year of methane from solid waste and waste water, leading to fuel savings of 1.3 billion baht. The factories included nine cassava plants, 13 crude palm oil producers, six ethanol producers, three food processing plants and one rubber plant.

The Nation, 13.08.2008

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