Thanks Gary, but I know, I've been writing about it for awhile. We're at the other end of it here in Japan, people we know are involved in it. It wasn't outside my thinking when I said just ignore them.
Again, so what? For one thing, is that guy really saying they're going to export B5 to Japan and Europe? Not B100? They're going to ship the 95% petro-diesel too? I guess it wouldn't surprise me much if they got their carbon credits for that. >Give it all a scroot every now and then to see how they're getting >along with the fuel miles issue, for instance, among others. Europe is making serious cavilling noises about the ethical sourcing of biofuels, and Malaysia and Indonesia particularly are right in the cross-hairs. Planet Japan hasn't got a clue, as usual, but Japan does have it's Kyoto commitments and when economic realities start biting harder and harder they won't have any choice either. Whatever, it's not going to hold onto any green cred for long, and when it loses its carbon credits it'll get that much more expensive and the demand will drop. Then it could start getting hit with punitive taxes. How long is a set-up like this going to survive, say, the massive and skyrocketing costs of global warming damage payouts that the world insurance industry is getting so agitated about? They've got a hell of a stick to hit people with, this stuff just doesn't work without insurance, it'll really hurt when it gets more expensive. I think the insurance industry will start making life hard when it comes to insuring any activities which contribute to global warming, regardless of how risky they are in themselves, like destroying forests for instance. But the forests are being devastated in the meantime. But I first saw that there 25 years ago, also because of palm oil. Not to say there's no hurry, but have you got any better suggestions? On the other hand, a lot of the discarded tropical hardwood container pallets I was complaining about come from Malaysia. If you amble off to the local home centre here to buy some charcoal for your grill, here in Japan with all its forests and timber it doesn't know what to do with, and right in the middle of a forest area too, the charcoal you'll buy is allegedly eco-green mangrove charcoal shipped here 3,000 kilometers from Malaysia. How're the mangroves doing round there these days? Forest protection is absolutely a critical issue in its own right, big central palmoil biodiesel or not. Best Keith >On 12 Apr 2006, at 17:18, Keith Addison wrote: > >>I wonder though if maybe we should be >>regarding Big Central biofuels and what they do and think and the >>apocryphal rumours they spread > >This was major news in Malaysia today: > >Bio-fuel booster > >By STEPHEN THEN > >MIRI: MalaysiaÄôs B5 bio-fuel is set to take off in a big way as >several foreign companies want to set up refineries in the country. > >Companies and government agencies in leading industrialised >countries like Germany, Italy, Britain, Japan and South Korea want >to set up plants in the country to produce the fuel on a large >scale for their consumption. > >Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Datuk Peter Chin Fah >Kui said at least 10 licences had already been approved by his >ministry and the Malaysian Industrial Development Authority (Mida) >for the setting up of bio-fuel plants which will cost at least >RM30mil each. > >ÄúOffers have come flooding in from private and government agencies >from Italy, Britain, Japan, Germany, South Korea, and Australia. > > >Ôøº >ÄúAll want to invest heavily to manufacture the B5 fuel on a big >scale in Malaysia and buy the bio-diesel for use in their home >countries. > >ÄúWe are also vetting through many more applications for the >setting up of bio-fuel plants in Malaysia. Even the states want to >set bio- fuel plants,Äù he added. > >MalaysiaÄôs bio-fuel, the Envo Diesel, was launched by Prime >Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi on March 21. > >Chin, who said all the offers had been forwarded to Mida, stressed >that Malaysia would not rush to set up plants to produce the fuel, >which was made up of 5% palm oil derived diesel and 95% petroleum >derived diesel. > >It is now being used on a trial basis in ChinÄôs ministry, the >Defence Ministry, the Works Ministry and by Kuala Lumpur City Hall. > >ÄúThe use of B5 fuel is expected to save the Government about >500,000 tonnes of petroleum-derived diesel this year,Äù said Chin, >adding that the fuel was targeted for sale to the public next year. > >This is part of the Government's plan to increase usage of palm oil >as well as to reduce the country's dependency on fossil fuel. _______________________________________________ Biofuel mailing list Biofuel@sustainablelists.org http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/biofuel_sustainablelists.org Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (50,000 messages): http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/
