April 4, 2013
Ensus bio-refinery facility to close due to adverse market conditions
One of the world's largest wheat bio-refinery plants, under the management of bio-refinery operator, Ensus, will close due to unfavourable market conditions.
Based at Teesside, Middleborough, UK, the plant was capable of processing more than one million tonnes of wheat yearly. It will cease production less than eight months after it reopened, having previously been mothballed for 15 months.
A spokesman for Ensus said: "We regretfully confirm that due to continuing adverse market conditions, we will temporarily suspend production at our plant.
"At this stage, we don't know how long this pause will be, but we hope that market conditions can improve and that the plant will become operational again in the near future."
The closure removes a key market for UK feed wheat and, particularly this season, for low-quality feed wheat. Ensus was one of the few places which would take wheat down to 60kg per hectolitre. In October, it began importing European corn to mix with UK wheat in a bid to keep the plant operating efficiently.
