Corn ethanol makers in Argentina are ready to lift production by up to 60%, Reuters reported recently, citing the executive director of the Argentine corn industry chamber Maizar.

The increase will depend on the future level of the mandated ethanol blend. The government has plans to further lift the required amount of ethanol to be blended into gasoline after raising it in April to 12% from 10%. Specific targets, however, are yet to be decided upon.

Maizar’s head Martin Fraguio said that additional increases in ethanol output would come only from corn as it would be hard for the sugar sector to keep pushing up production of the fuel.

According to Fraguio, three 100,000-cu-m corn ethanol plants have the funds and the engineering plans prepared to expand. Once the higher ethanol blending goals are announced, it would take six to ten months to construct the new facilities. These could boost Argentina’s capacity by up to 60% from the current 507,000 cu m per year, he said.

 

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