Sept 15 (Reuters) - Global ethanol production is expected to be 20% lower this year as the market goes through the COVID-19 crisis, while recovery in output back to pre-pandemic levels will not be realized until 2022, a director for the U.S. Grains Council said on Tuesday.

About 23 billion litres of ethanol production has been lost in 2020, which has shuttered more than 250 ethanol plants across the globe, Brian D. Healy, director of global ethanol market development, U.S. Grains Council said at the Platts APPEC 2020 virtual conference.

U.S. ethanol production, however, has nearly recovered from the worst of the pandemic and is currently 10% lower compared with the levels for Aug. 16, 2019, Healy added.

Beyond 2020, policy implementation will remain a key factor for ethanol demand, Healy said, adding that implementation delays have started in some markets that had announced significant expansions to their ethanol use policies over the last two years.

(Reporting by Koustav Samanta; editing by Louise Heavens)