Anthony Henry, Gleaner Writer
JAMAICA'S SEARCH for alternative energy could get a boost from a southern neighbour, as a Brazilian company is to start construction of an ethanol plant here before year end, said Brazilian Ambassador to Jamaica, Cezar Augusto de Sousa Lima Amaral.
According to Ambassador Amaral, a bilateral agreement has been hammered out with a Brazilian trading entity, Coimex, and a Jamaican company to produce ethanol. He said that before year-end, construction should begin on the plant. "There are two engineering companies one from Brazil and the other from the United States that have sent in their bids to construct the plant," he recently told The Gleaner.
Ethanol is an alcohol-based fuel with vapour heavier than air, produced from agricultural products such as corn, grain and sugar cane. It is the most widely used renewable biofuel today. Ethanol is made by converting starchy crops into sugars, which are then fermented into ethanol and then distilled into its final form. Its main uses are to enhance vehicle performance and act as a fuel oxygenate to improve the quality of emission from gasolene.
Ambassador Amaral said that the sale of ethanol is very profitable and projects that Jamaica could earn up to $50 million per year from production of the fuel and provide a lot of employment.
According to the Ambassador, Jamaica has the capacity to outproduce countries that are currently manufacturing ethanol.
"There are a lot of sugar plants here; the capacity to produce ethanol is great," he said.
