An Australian coconut oil company is developing a US 2-million dollar bio-diesel factory in Luganville, Vanuatu, to operate alongside its existing production mill there.
The CEO of Coconut Oil Production Santo Limited, Bernie Glaser, says it will use a chemical process to separate the unwanted elements of its coconut oil to make a clean bio-fuel.
Mr Glaser says the cost of diesel in the islands is prohibitive, partly because of shipping costs, so it makes good sense to use the local, renewable source to make fuel instead.
Anything that can fully utilise a renewable resource, and value add to its maximum is going to help the country. And if we can encourage a renewable replant for more palms to be put into the ground by the farmers and then harvested, everything becomes more bouyant and the renewable resource continues.
Bernie Glaser says jobs will be created at the harvest stage to the production stage.
