The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) plans to use waste plant material to produce diesel, regional officials told journalists here recently.
Acting ARMM Governor Ansaruddin A. Adiong said he signed last week in Makati City a memorandum of understanding with Energy Vision Japan Co. and Secura International Corp. for the conduct of a feasibility study on a project that will use multiple hydrocarbon catalytic technology to produce diesel.
Mr. Adiong forged the memorandum with Hans Henning Judek and Danilo P. Manayaga, chief executive officers of Energy Vision and Secura, respectively.
"The technology has been successfully introduced in Germany, Japan and other advanced countries," Naguib G. Sinarimbo, ARMM executive secretary, said in a statement.
Energy Vision and Secura made the proposal last May for the conduct of the feasibility study, Mr. Sinarimbo added.
He said the facility is proposed for installation at the newly opened Polloc Freeport in Parang, Maguindanao.
Mr. Sinarimbo said this development should help highlight the potential of the impoverished region to host select investments, particularly those based on environment-friendly technologies.
The proponents said the multiple hydrocarbon catalytic conversion plant can produce 2,000 liters of diesel per hour using biomass resources that abound in ARMM.
The diesel produced, in turn, could amply meet the ARMM economic zone’s energy needs and can later be sold to neighboring areas, said Mr. Judek, who flew in from Japan last week to sign the agreement.
He said the envisioned product can be used in most diesel engines without modification.
Mr. Judek added that the technology and business plan were cited during the Asia for Clean Energy Financing Award held in Singapore last year as one of the most promising clean energy investment opportunities in Southeast Asia.
