China plans to expand its use of biofuels to reduce its reliance on petroleum, utilising an additional 2 million tonnes of bioethanol from non-grain feedstock's and 200,000 tonnes a year of bodiless by 2010, a senior official said on Tuesday.
By 2020, China aims to use 10 million tonnes of bioethanol and 2 million tonnes of bodiless, replacing 10 million tonnes a year of petroleum-based fuel, Chen Deeming, vice chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission, told a news conference.
Beijing is eager to reduce its dependence on expensive crude oil, but is also increasingly concerned that planting crops for fuel could limit its ability to grow enough grain for an increasingly wealthy population. Demand for corn to produce ethanol in the US and Brazil had crowded out land for food uses, Chen said, pledging that China would not do the same.
"By doing this, these countries have increased corn planting and decreased soya acreage, thus raising agricultural prices. Our land is precious, we will not do this," Chen said. China currently has four facilities with a designed capacity to produce 1.02 million tonnes of ethanol from grains, including about 800,000 tonnes made from corn.
Much of the feedstock is old grain stock from reserves, Chen said. In future, China would rely more on plants growing on less productive land for bioethanol and bodiless, including sweet sorghum, Chen said.