BIO Pacific Rim Summit Speakers Explore Role of Government in Promoting Biofuels

Business Wire, Nov 15, 2007

Key Drivers Behind Government Efforts Are Need for Renewable Energy, Environmental Concerns and Pace of Technological Advances

HONOLULU -- Representatives of China, Canada, the United States and the State of Hawaii explored the key drivers behind their respective governments' programs to support research and development of biofuels during the opening general session of the Pacific Rim Summit on Industrial Biotechnology and Bioenergy.

Jiayang Li, vice president of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, began the session, titled "The Status of Biofuels Development in the Pacific Rim," by pointing out that resource shortages are the primary reason China is investing in biofuel development. China's oil consumption is rapidly outpacing its production, due to the growing number of cars in China, Li said. He noted that China's importation of oil has increased from 45 million tons in 2001 to 140 million tons in 2006. China has set a goal of producing 10,000 kilotons of ethanol by 2030.

Dependence on imported oil is also a key driver in Hawaii's support for biofuel development, according to Maurice Kaya, chief technology officer of the Hawaii Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism. Kaya emphasized the role that states and local governments can play in supporting the emergence of the biofuel industry.

Philip Schwab, vice president of industry relations for BIOTECanada, highlighted biofuel use targets set both by Canada's central government and several provincial governments. Canada's renewable fuel standard was originally envisioned as a means to support agricultural prices in Canada, but it became an urgent national priority due to concerns about global warming.

James Spaeth, manager of biomass research at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), noted that rapid development of the technology to produce biofuels is pushing the United States to try to set a higher renewable fuel standard. According to Spaeth, the DOE originally set a goal of producing cellulosic ethanol at a competitive cost in a laboratory or demonstration-scale setting by 2012. DOE now believes that commercial production of cellulosic ethanol will be cost efficient before 2012.

The Pacific Rim Summit on Industrial Biotechnology and Bioenergy runs through Friday Nov. 16 at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Beach Resort and Spa in Honolulu and is hosted by the Biotechnology Industry Organization, the American Chemical Society and the State of Hawaii.

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BIO represents more than 1,100 biotechnology companies, academic institutions, state biotechnology centers and related organizations across the United States and 31 other nations. BIO members are involved in the research and development of healthcare, agricultural, industrial and environmental biotechnology products. BIO also produces the annual BIO International Convention, the global event for biotechnology. www.bio.org

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