List of sugar producers in RD

Herewith is a list of link to the homepage of sugar producer (in Spanish)
Consejo Estatal de Azúcar—CEA cea.gov.do
Grupo Vicini grupovicini.com
Bio E Group Inc (Swiss Bioethanol) bioe.ch

Background Info
After Cuba, the Dominican Republic is the second-largest Caribbean producer of sugarcane, the nation's most important commercial crop. The State Sugar Council (Consejo Estatal de Azúcar—CEA) operates 12 sugar mills and accounts for more than half of total production. Other large producers are the privately owned Grupo Vicini, with three mills, and Gulf and Western, whose largest mill is at La Romana. Output of sugar has declined annually since 1982, and land is gradually being taken out of sugar production and switched to food crops. Production of raw sugar rose from 636,000 metric tons in 1990 to 813,000 metric tons in 1997 but fell to 374,000 metric tons in 1999. The Dominican Republic has the largest single allocation of the US sugar import quota. In 2006, the country produced a 500,000 metric tons and the sugar production from the period 2006-2007 was of 493,197 metric tons.The biofuels opportunity is expected to revive the sugar sector and to boost the island state's rural economy.

A renewable energy law has been passed in DR, which removes all taxes from all equipment, sales, and income for at least 10 years, pays up to 75% of the cost of installing solar or wind in homes or community co-ops, and offers an incentive for utilities for renewable energy production like biofuel. The Dominican Republic has been discussed for multiple biofuel projects because of its low wages, sugar cane, and because as a member of CAFTA the DR can export sugarcane ethanol to the US without paying the tariff that is imposed on Brazilian ethanol.

Major Ethanol Plants Projects in DR
In early 2008, Bio E Group Inc, Tomsa Destil and Biotech and other foreign investors announced the construction of two ethanol plants in the Dominican Republic. The distilleries will be located in the eastern region of the country (in the townships Bayaguana, Monte Plata and Quisqueya & San Pedro) . This project would cost approximately US$300 million and they would produce 35 million gallons (13.2 million litres) of ethanol and 30 megawatts of electricity from renewable sources each per year. The feedstock for the biofuel is bagasse; the abundant biomass residue from sugarcane processing that will be used to feed the cogeneration units. The utilisation of bagasse for energy makes sugarcane ethanol a fuel with a very strong energy balance. The biofuel projects would contribute to the revival of the sugar sector, which has been in decline since the 1980s. The dehydrated ethanol could be exported to the U.S., because the Dominican Republic does not fall under the ethanol tariff regime imposed on other producers. This project received approval under the new Dominican Renewable Energy Law, which provides the legal framework for the biofuels sector.- The Globasol Company has announced the start of a program to produce biodiesel fuel in the south-western region of the country. The source of the fuel will be castor beans and a variety of pine nuts called "pinon de leche". The investment is expected to reach US$65 or US$75 million. The project involves the construction of six eco-villages that will operate as co-operatives for workers and provide accommodation for their families. The plant is designed to produce 18 million gallons of diesel fuel per year without destroying local eco-systems.