FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (EASTWOOD, KENTUCKY) — A 16-member team of government officials and bioethanol importers from Vietnam will be in Kentucky and Tennessee on Oct. 18-21 to get a firsthand look at domestic ethanol production and real-world applications. This contingent is one of 11 groups that will continue their travels after the U.S. Grains Council’s (USGC) Global Ethanol Summit (GES).
GES is an education and trade forum, held Oct. 16-18, that seeks to elevate bioethanol’s international visibility and ongoing successful initiatives as a viable decarbonization solution within the transportation sector. More than 350 ministerial-level officials and industry leaders, bioethanol producers and refiners from more than 40 countries are attending this year to learn about the numerous environmental and human health benefits of globally expanding the use of biofuels.
Vietnam is aiming to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 43.5% by 2030 and reach net zero emissions by 2050 and the local government is currently considering expanding its existing E5 mandate to all grades of gasoline to help meet this commitment. Direct biofuel exports to Vietnam totaled 2.4 million gallons in the first 10 months of the 2022/23 marketing year, up nearly 400 percent from last year. A successful E5 mandate expansion would increase biofuel demand by a further 400 percent, creating 150 million gallons of potential sales.
“The Vietnamese transportation sector is rapidly increasing its demand for biofuel products, and the Council is excited to support and encourage its growth through GES and its programs,” said Mackenzie Boubin, USGC director of global ethanol export development. “Vietnam recently lowered its most-favored-nation tariff on U.S. bioethanol to 10%, meaning that U.S. products will be even more competitive and able to meet the country’s growing need for sustainable fuels.”
The team will begin their tour at Thorntons fuel retail facility in Nashville, then arrive in Hopkinsville, KY on Wednesday evening. On Thursday, October 19, the team will visit with farmers and industry leaders at H&R Agripower before touring Commonwealth Agri-Energy ethanol production and meeting with its leadership in the morning. They will enjoy farm visits throughout the afternoon for a first-hand look at harvest operations and conservation commitments. On Friday, the group will observe another fuel retail facility before returning to middle Tennessee to visit a fuel distribution terminal and a global bioethanol marketer.
More information about GES is available online and content from the event and its accompanying trade teams can be found on the Council’s social media pages (X, Facebook, Instagram) and using the hashtag #Grains23.
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