Energy project extended to tapioca, shrimp
The Alternative Energy Development and Efficiency Department and the German Technical Cooperation (GTZ) agency have signed an agreement to extend collaborative implementation of the "Energy and Eco-Efficiency in Agro-Industry Project" (E3Agro).
The project focuses on extending the successful model for renewable energy production and energy efficiency improvement in the palm oil industry to the tapioca starch industry. Panich Pongpirodom, director-general of the department, said the focus would continue to be on utilising biomass energy. Thailand's agro-industry has the potential to produce 3,000 megawatts of biomass energy worth Bt35 billion per year. This is in line with the national energy policy, which aims to generate 8 per cent of the country's total energy from renewable sources by 2011, as well as improve production processes and energy efficiency. This will reduce fuel imports by more than Bt120 billion. "The E3Agro project aims to improve energy production and energy efficiency in target agricultural sectors, including the tapioca starch industry and ethanol production," said Juergen Koch, country director of GTZ Thailand. Overall potential for productivity gains in the tapioca starch industry is estimated to be Bt4 billion-Bt5 billion per annum, while the reduction of energy use in shrimp farming could be worth Bt5 billion a year. E3Agro aims to reduce the energy cost of shrimp farms to enhance the competitiveness of shrimp exports, which are worth about Bt10 billion annually. The E3Agro approach adds higher value to waste products and converts waste to energy using efficient technology for combined heat and power with modern gas engines. A benchmarking programme will be employed to continuously improve production management. The E3Agro project started in 2004 and is managed by the Thai-German Programme for Enterprise Competitiveness. The project started in the palm oil industry with great success and has garnered the "Best Practice for Waste to Energy in the Palm Oil Production Process and Eco-efficiency of the Thai Palm Oil industry", which was awarded to the Palm Oil Crushing Mills Association. "Our new collaboration will focus on the conversion of waste from the tapioca starch industry into energy, efficient and sustainable ethanol production and energy cost savings in the shrimp industry. This will enhance Thailand's competitiveness in the world market and reduce energy imports," Koch said.
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