December 14, 2009

Ensus biofuel plant start-up due within weeks

Ensus' wheat-based biofuel plant is weeks away from starting ethanol production, the chief executive Alwyn Hughes told Dow Jones Newswires Friday.

"We have wheat in our silos...we are very close to starting," said Hughes.

Ensus has developed Europe's largest wheat-based bioethanol plant with capacity to produce 400 million litres of the fuel a year.

The plant is expected to be running at full capacity by the first quarter of 2010, said Hughes.

Alongside its ethanol production, Ensus will also produce around 350,000 tonnes a year of high protein animal feed, which will help reduce Europe's reliance on imported soymeal which is often from soy grown on deforested land, said Hughes.

According to Ensus, the wheat-based ethanol will produce carbon emissions savings of around 60% when compared with fossil fuels.

The plant is expected to use over 1 million tonnes of wheat per year and although Hughes confirmed that all of the wheat Ensus' purchased so far has been grown in the UK, he declined to say what volumes had been bought.