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The papers in these workshops represent the personal views of the individual authors and do not necessarily represent the views of their companies, organisations or the IEA.

Sustainable Development of Biofuels
 
Location and date(s) of workshop:
Bangkok: 7-8 September 2009
   
Organiser(s): IEA / Thai Ministry of Energy (MoEN)
   
Contact(s):
 brett.jacobs@iea.org
   

Background:

Biofuels have become increasingly economic and significant in recent years during the fast rise of international oil prices and increasing concerns for energy supply security climate change mitigation. Both ethanol and biodiesel have been shown to be technically effective as extenders and substitutes for gasoline and diesel, and the infrastructure for biofuels has been developed and deployed in a few countries.

But oil prices have plummeted from the highs of 2008. What precautions are needed and in what direction do we now proceed? What is the potential for 2nd generation biofuels to compete?

The Thai Ministry of Energy (MoEN) and the International Energy Agency (IEA) have jointly hosted annual fora since 2007. The IEA and its speakers provide MoEN and participants from SE Asia with an international policy perspective on issues topical to Thailand and SE Asia, and it is increasingly being seen as an ‘honest broker’. Fora to date:
  • Sep. 2007, Workshop "National Oil Emergency Preparedness"
  • Sep. 2008, Workshop on international policy and practice in "Power Generation Options"
  • May 2009, Joint ‘Emergency Response Exercise’. This was the first ERE to be held outside of the IEA HQ and with a non-IEA country.
These fora provide an opportunity for the IEA and invited speakers to meet and develop contacts with SE Asian officials and specialists, and to hear and discuss the latest developments in SE Asia.

 
Links to relevant documents:
 Agenda
Outcomes
Summary Record


Other Related links:
ASEAN Countries
Thailand country page
Implementing Agreement for Bioenergy

Relevant Papers:

 
Proceedings:

Opening Session

Welcome address
Dr. Wannarat Channukul, Minster of Energy Thailand

Reponse address
Ambassador Richard Jones, Deputy Executive Director, IEA

Session 1.  Drivers for the development of Biofuels in ASEAN (Moderator: Dr Sarawut Kaewtathip, Chief of Strategy Planning, MoEN)

This Session will present and discuss the global outlook (IEA) and the ASEAN outlook (selected ASEAN speakers) for the various biofuels.  This will include discussion of the international and local markets, ASEAN Governments’ policy and pricing for biofuels and their deployment, development plans including issues such as flexible fuel vehicle programmes, and sourcing of biofuels feedstock.

1.1.  The global biofuels markets and the outlook, including evolution of European and USA markets
Mr Michael Waldron, Oil Industry and Markets Division, IEA

1.2.  National biofuels policy, deployment and plans - Indonesia
Dr Saryono Hadiwidjoyo, Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources

1.3.  National biofuels policy, deployment and plans - Malaysia
Mr Nasrin Abu Bakar, Malaysian Palm Oil Board

1.4.  National biofuels policy, deployment and plans - Thailand
Mr Krairit Nilukuha, Director General, Department of Alternative Energy Development and Efficiency, MoEN

Session 2.  Emerging economic and environmental challenges (Moderator: Dr Paolo Frankl, Head of Renewable Energy Division, IEA)

This Session will present and discuss the ‘state of the art’ for sustainable production of biofuel feedstocks, acceptable land use, and cost-effective conversion processes amidst lowering oil prices and tensions between food vs. fuel production.

2.1.  Criteria for sustainability of biofuels: mandatory and voluntary approaches
Dr Jonathan Reeves, Global Bioenergy Partnership Secretariat, Italy

2.2.  Global challenges for sustainability of biofuels, with focus on lifecycle assessment of GHG emissions
Prof. Annette Cowie, National Centre for Rural Greenhouse Gas Research, University of New England, Australia

2.3.  Barriers to SE Asia biofuels export into the European and USA markets
Captain Dr Samai Jai-Indr, Energy Specialist, Energy Standing Committee, House of Representatives, Royal Thai Navy

2.4.  The Brazilian ethanol industry: Sustainability today and tomorrow
Dr Eduardo Leão de Sousa, Executive Director, União da Indústria de Cana-de-açúcar, Brazil

2.5.  Biomethane: Another biofuels of choice for the future
Dr Songkriert Tansamrit, Executive Vice President of PTT Research & Technology Institute

2.6. Food vs. energy - direct and indirect land use issues
Dr Horst Fehrenbach, Senior Scientist, Institut für Energie- und Umweltforschung Heidelberg GmbH, Germany

2.7.  Measuring and verifying biofuels sustainability. And who measures this?
Ms Melinda Kimble, Senior Vice President, UN Foundation, USA

2.8.  The Thai ethanol industry: sustainability today & tomorrow
Dr Sihasak Arirajchakaran, Executive Director, Thai-Agro Industry

Session 3.  Advances in the production of sustainable Biofuels (Moderator: Dr Weerawat Chantanakome, Councillor, Ministry of Energy, Thailand)

Session 3. will present and discuss the latest international advances and future R&D direction in biofuel technologies and their likelihood of meeting low carbon fuel standards, and the potential for 2nd generation biofuels internationally and amongst ASEAN nations.

3.1.  Commercialization of 2nd generation biofuels: the bio-refinery concept for biomass-to-biofuels
Prof. Jack Saddler, Dean of Faculty of Forestry, University of British Columbia, Canada

3.2.  ASEAN developments and direction for 1st and 2nd generation technologies
Dr Vijit Sriyunyongwat, Researcher, PTT Research and Technology Institute Secretary to Energy Committee

3.3.  From 1st generation biofuels to an integrated system production model
Prof. Manoel Regis Lima Verde Leal, Programme Coordinator, Centre for Bioethanol, Science and Technology (CTBE), Brazil

3.4.  Thailand: Biofuels stockpiling
Ms Niyada Gunwachai, Plan and Policy Analyst, Bureau of Business Service and Fuel Stockpile, Department of Energy Business, MoEN

3.5  The Indonesian biofuel industry-Sustainability today & tomorrow
Dr. Dadan Kusdiana, Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources

Closing remarks
Dr Norkun Sitthiphong, Deputy Permanent Secretary, MoEN

Closing remarks
Ambassador Jones, Deputy Executive Director, IEA