An order which includes equipment and engineering solutions for an ethanol production plant in northern Vietnam has been placed by the PetroVietnam Group with Alfa Laval it was announnced last week (29th October). The order, worth in the region of SEK 100 million ($14.2m), will see Alfa Laval's heat exchangers used in a starch-based fermentation, distillation and dehydration process at the ethanol plant.  Delivery is scheduled for 2010.

The plant in Vietnam will produce fuel ethanol from cassava chips.

Commenting on the order Lars Renström, President and CEO of the Alfa Laval Group said "This is our second order from Vietnam in short time and it confirms our strong position also in the growing Asian market."

The PetroVietnam plant is part of the biofuel development program, ratified by the Vietnam Government last year, with aim to produce 320 million litres of ethanol and vegetable oil by 2015?