英语读译天天练04

Malaysia likely to legislate biofuel use

Malaysia may become the first Asian country to require the replacement of diesel fuel with biofuel for vehicles and machinery, in an effort to cut costly fuel subsidies and boost the local palm oil industry.

Malaysia's ministry of plantation industries and commodities wants to include the mandatory sale of biodiesel in a proposed biofuel bill expected to be submitted for cabinet approval this month, a ministry official told the Financial Times.

Biodiesel, a mixture of 5 per cent palm oil and 95 per cent diesel fuel, would be sold from 2007 if the law is approved. Malaysia is the world's leading producer of palm oil.

The move is in response to increased government spending on fuel subsidies, including diesel. Higher oil prices are expected to raise spending on fuel subsidies by 34 per cent to M$16bn (US$4.3bn) this year. Officials estimate the use of biodiesel could reduce demand for diesel by more than 10 per cent.

Malaysia is planning to build three plants to produce 180,000 tonnes of biodiesel for export within the next year.

Malaysia's biodiesel plants will be operated in a joint venture between the Malaysian Palm Oil Board and several local palm oil plantation companies.

Global demand for biofuels was 2.5m tonnes last year and is expanding by 25 per cent a year, with Malaysia aiming to gain a 10 per cent market share.

JP Morgan estimates the price of palm oil will increase to M$1,610 a tonne by 2007, although that is still less than diesel, which is now priced at about M$2,000 a tonne.

译文：
    马来西亚拟立法推广生物柴油
    马来西亚种植与原产业部(Ministry of Plantation Industries and Commodities)的一名官员告诉《金融时报》，该部希望将生物柴油的强制销售纳入拟议的生物燃料法案，预计该法案将在本月提交内阁审批。
生物柴油是由5%的棕榈油与95%的柴油燃料混合而成。如果上述法律得到批准，生物柴油将从2007年开始销售。马来西亚是全球主要棕榈油生产国。
此举是为了应对政府燃料补贴的增加，包括对柴油的补贴。预计油价上涨将使马来西亚今年的燃料补贴开支上升34%，达160亿林吉特(合43亿美元)。官员们估计，使用生物柴油可能令柴油需求下降逾10%。
马来西亚计划在一年内建造3座工厂，生产18万吨生物柴油供出口。
马来西亚的生物柴油厂，将由马来西亚棕榈油委员会(Malaysian Palm Oil Board)与多家当地棕榈油种植企业之间的合资企业来运作。
全球去年对生物柴油的需求为250万吨，并正以每年25%的速度递增。马来西亚的目标是占据10%的生物柴油市场份额。

JP摩根(JP Morgan)估算，到2007年，棕榈油的价格将涨至每吨1610林吉特，但这一价格仍比柴油低，目前柴油价格约为每吨2000林吉特。