Proposed project

Philippine Integrated Bio-Energy Platform

A proposed GFTx plan for one value chain in the Philippines: bamboo biomass grown in Masbate, moved by an inter-island fleet and converted into bioethanol, renewable power, pellets and biochar for domestic and export markets.

A proposed plan, not yet in operation. Partners and assets are not named while negotiations are ongoing, and all figures are indicative.

Land in Masbate

18,000–20,000ha

Minimum DENR allocation, the planning basis

Bioethanol distillery

130,000L/day

With a sugarcane mill and 6 MW cogeneration

Marine fleet

5 + 20

Tugboats and cargo barges, with port and dry dock

Carbon removal at maturity

410–450kt CO₂e/yr

Indicative, rainfed base, at 18,000–20,000 ha

Feedstock · Logistics · Conversion

Three pillars, one value chain

Each part of the plan can stand on its own. Together they remove the biggest risk of each: feedstock for the plant, freight for the plantation and base cargo for the fleet.

1 · Feedstock

Masbate bamboo biomass hub

Site: western Masbate, degraded grassland planted with giant bamboo
Land: a minimum allocation of 18,000–20,000 ha from the DENR, the planning basis
Tenure: a 25-year SFLMA under DENR Administrative Order 2025-22, application in preparation
Products: biomass, pellets, biochar and carbon credits
Carbon removal: about 22.6 kt CO₂e per year per 1,000 ha (indicative, rainfed base)
Later stages: a biomass power plant for Masbate and a dam

2 · Logistics

Inter-island marine logistics

Fleet: 5 tugboats and 20 cargo barges
Facilities: port facility, tank yard and dry dock
Services: lighterage, barging and towing, licensed by the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA)
Role: freight for Masbate biomass to the conversion plant and the export port
Export hub: the base for a biomass and biochar collection and export hub serving Europe and China

3 · Conversion

Bioethanol and cogeneration

Distillery: an operating bioethanol distillery of 130,000 litres per day, registered with the Department of Energy (DOE)
Power: a sugarcane mill and 6 MW cogeneration
Site: 24 ha in a PEZA economic zone, with a 3,000-ha sugarcane block
Products: bioethanol for E10 fuel blending and renewable power

Grow · Move · Convert · Sell

How the value chain works

Grow

A bamboo plantation in Masbate, with a collection hub for biomass and biochar.

Move

Tugboats and barges carry the biomass from Masbate to the conversion plant and the export port.

Convert

Biomass as fuel for the cogeneration, ethanol from the distillery, and pellets and biochar.

Sell

Fuel and power for the Philippines, and exports to the EU, China, Japan and Korea.

Planned products and services: bioethanol for E10 blending, renewable power from the 6 MW cogeneration and for the local grid, biomass pellets, biochar, carbon credits (biochar carbon removal, ARR and fermentation CO₂), and freight and dry-dock services for third parties.

Why one platform

The whole is worth more than the parts

Year-round fuel for the cogenerationMasbate bamboo replaces grid power when bagasse runs short, so the plant becomes energy self-sufficient, and Masbate gains an anchor customer before building its own power plant.

Own freightThe fleet moves the biomass at cost, so the plantation does not depend on third-party shipping, and the fleet gains long-term base cargo.

A third carbon streamFermentation releases about 28–32 kt of near-pure biogenic CO₂ per year (indicative), the lowest-cost source for capture credits or food-grade CO₂, on top of the biochar and ARR credits from Masbate.

An export gatewayThe collection hub, barges and port turn Masbate pellets and biochar into a certified export flow to the EU, China, Japan and Korea.

Indicative timeline

From land to steady state

Indicative dates. They depend on permits, approvals and agreements with partners.

Q4 2026
Phase 0: securing the land and planning, and filing the SFLMA application.
2027
Target for the land tenure grant and the first bamboo planting. Phase 1 starts with the first 1,000 ha (rainfed) and runs to 2030.
2028–29
First biomass shipments to the cogeneration plant, and build-out of the export hub.
2030+
Steady-state biomass, biochar and carbon removals, and export contracts.

Interested in the platform?

Partners and investors can request the project brief from the GFTx team.

Request the project brief All business lines