An Analysis of Ethanol Investment Decisions in Thailand

Abstract

This paper analyzes the decision to invest in building ethanol plants in Thailand. We analyze the effects of economic factors, strategic factors, and government policies on ethanol investment using discrete response and fixed effects regression models. Results show that the main factor that affects the decision to invest in building an ethanol plant in a particular changwat is the number of ethanol plants already in the changwat. The number of ethanol plants already in the changwat has a significant negative effect on the decision to invest in building an ethanol plant in a particular changwat, which suggests that potential investors are deterred by local competition in input and output markets.

Share and Cite:

N. Mudiyanselage, C. Lin and F. Yi, "An Analysis of Ethanol Investment Decisions in Thailand," Theoretical Economics Letters, Vol. 3 No. 5A, 2013, pp. 14-20. doi: 10.4236/tel.2013.35A1003.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

[1] Rabobank International, “Biofuel: A Sustainable Energy in Thailand,” 2005. www.rabobank.com/far
[2] J. B. Gonsalves, “An Assessment of the Biofuels Industry in Thailand,” Conference on Trade and Development, Geneva, 19 September 2006, pp. 3-28. http://www.unctad.org/en/docs/ditcted20067_en.pdf
[3] P. Bhandhubayong, “Development of Ethanol as a Transportation Fuel in Thailand,” Environmental Research Institute, Riverside, 2003. www.eri.ucr.edu/ISAFXVCD/ISAFXVAF/DETFT.pdf
[4] S. Yoosi and C. Sorapipatan, “A Study of Ethanol Production Cost for Gasoline Substitution in Thailand and Its Competitiveness,” Thammasat International Journal of Science and Technology, Vol. 12, No. 1, 2007, pp. 69-80.
[5] S. Chirapanda, S. Techasriprasert, S. Pratummin, S. Jain and P. Wongtarua, “Strategies and Options for Integrating Biofuel and Rural Renewable Energy Production into Rural Agriculture for Poverty Reduction: Thailand,” Asian Development Bank, Manila, 2009.
[6] W. Amatayakul and G. Berndes, “Fuel Ethanol Program in Thailand: Energy, Agricultural, and Environmental Trade-Offs and Prospects for CO2 Abatement,” Energy for Sustainable Development, Vol. 11, No. 3, 2007, pp. 51-66. doi:10.1016/S0973-0826(08)60577-3
[7] C.-Y. C. Lin and F. Yi, “Ethanol Plant Investment in Canada: A Structural Model,” Working Paper, University of California at Davis, Davis, 2013.
[8] C.-Y. C. Lin and F. Yi, “What Factors Affect the Decision to Invest in a Fuel Ethanol Plant: A Structural Model of the Investment Timing Game in Europe,” Working Paper, University of California at Davis, Davis, 2013.
[9] C.-Y. C. Lin and K. Thome, “Investment in Corn-Ethanol Plants in the Midwestern United States: An Analysis Using Reduced-Form and Structural Models,” Working Paper, University of California at Davis, Davis, 2013.

Copyright © 2024 by authors and Scientific Research Publishing Inc.

Creative Commons License

This work and the related PDF file are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.