Aussie cellulosic ethanol plant to debut December 17; too little, too late for ruling Coalition government backing the plant?

In Australia, Ethtec will commence production on December 17 at its pilot cellulosic ethanol plant near Maclean in northern New South Wales. The company’s process uses hydrolysis to convert cellulose to sugars, which can then be fermented into ethanol.

US President George Bush and Australian prime minister John Howard held talks in September in Washington on advancing cellulosic ethanol. But the Howard government, which has pledged $5 million to the Maclean plant if re-elected, is expected to lose the Australian federal elections this week.
South Australian premier Mike Rann said earlier this year that the Australian federal government had missed the opportunity to make Australia a leader in global renewable energy development.

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