As supply lines from China reopen, Bioenergy Australia is calling on the federal government to support – and sanitiser manufacturing businesses to continue to buy – Australian Ethanol, as the active ingredient in hand sanitiser and surface disinfectants, as cheaper imports enter the market again.
Former Liberal Party leader, economist and Bioenergy Chair Dr John Hewson, said, “At a time like this we need to focus on supporting our domestic industries. Ethanol is part of the emerging biofuel industry in our country, which can provide large growth areas for jobs in
regional Australia moving forward. The Australian Ethanol producers were here when ethanol supply from China shut down for 40 days and we want them to be here now and even stronger into the future, especially in the face of potential future waves of the virus that
may again disrupt global supply chains. Otherwise we’re vulnerable. It’s a huge risk.”
“As a country this can be a defining moment in our future. Do we make a move to safeguard supply of critical need products by investing in, and supporting, local industries like Australian Ethanol, which also deliver economic benefits and jobs to regional economies, at a time when it’s sorely needed – or do we return to our reliance on importation?” said Hewson.
Bioenergy Australia CEO Shahana McKenzie, said, “There was an estimated 600% surge in demand for ethanol during the first stages of the crisis when Chinese and US supply chains were shutdown. The Australian Ethanol industry – with only three major facilities in the
country – made a colossal pivot to rapidly scale up and adapt current ethanol production to help fuel the fight against COVID-19 and protect lives.”
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Creation and uses of ethanol are not widely understood, and have led to some confusion and concern as demand skyrocketed due to the COVID-19 crisis.
McKenzie said, “Ethanol has different forms and uses in production. Beverage (alcohol grade, pharmaceutical grade (sanitisation products), personal care, industrial grade (detergents) and fuel grade (E10 and E85). The production of all of these grades is reliant on
a stable industry and currently it is the E10 fuel mandates in New South Wales and Queensland, which ensure domestic supply is protected in the sector.”
Without these mandates, Australia would’ve been entirely reliant on importing ethanol from China, which had an export shutdown for 40 days straight, and the USA.
Hewson explained protecting Australian lives and rebuilding the economy are two core focuses for the federal government as we emerge from the public health crisis. He said investing in Australian biofuels will support both of these priorities, plus give us additional
security of fuel supply, which was also voiced as a concern with global export shutdowns.
Bioenergy Australia is urging government, industry and business to put the issue front and centre and support local producers, such as family-owned Australian Manildra Group, who is making substantial investments to expand operations to be able produce more ethanol for Australia’s needs.
Manildra Group have just announced the expansion of their state-of-the-art distillery, to produce an additional 90 million litres of ethanol for pharmaceutical and beverage industries.
Manildra Group Managing Director John Honan, explained their Nowra-based distillery has been operating around-the-clock to increase production of pharmaceutical-grade ethanol, the active ingredient in hand sanitisers and surface disinfectants.
“The expansion of the distillery will provide 100+ jobs during construction as well as provide additional ongoing employment opportunities at Manildra Group’s ethanol plant. This further investment will provide a much-needed boost to the community of Nowra and the NSW economy,” said Mr Honan.
The pandemic has highlighted the vulnerability of Australia on global supply chains with shortages on other essential ingredients and packaging, as reported by hygiene industry body Accord in their latest survey findings.
“This will not be the last time that ethanol demand is critically high. It’s important we translate the learnings we’ve had as a country during the COVID-19 crisis now, and have these critical conversations on how we can secure vital supplies to protect Australians.” concluded McKenzie.
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