America is not the only country addicted to oil. China is now considering a change in energy policy to encourage the wider use of ethanol in order to improve air quality. According to China Knowledge, Beijing could set a target by the end of this year to include ethanol in the nation’s energy mix, the newspaper said, citing Fabrizio Zichichi, head of ethanol at Noble Group.
Such a move would indicate crucial political support for investment in the production, import and distribution of biofuel in China and could have an impact on world ethanol prices, which experts say will soon peak on current consumption patterns.
Ethanol, a clean fuel made from agricultural products, could reduce China’s excessive reliance on oil and coal, and also help spread wealth to the rural poor should a larger ethanol market in China be created, Zichichi was quoted as saying.