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biofuels bioethanol news
US ethanol plant subject of takeover
US-based Guardian Energy Heron Lake (GEHL) has signed an agreement to acquire the ethanol production assets from Heron Lake BioEnergy. The transaction, which also includes a 73% ownership interest in pipeline subsidiary Agrinatural Gas, is expected to close in the first quarter of this year pending regulatory and member approval. The Heron Lake natural gas-fired ethanol plant produces almost 60 million gallons of ethanol and 177,000 tonnes of distillers dried grains per year via locally-purchased corn. GEHL plans to honour all existing corn contracts once the purchase is complete before hosting grain procurement meetings further down the line. ‘We look forward to developing longlasting relationships with area producers and the surrounding communities,’ says GEHL CEO Don Gales. The ethanol plant began producing ethanol in October 2007 and has 35 full-time employees. l
North Carolina biofuels research gets over $1m boost A consortium targeting biofuels production in the US will be awarded a grant by the Biofuels Centre of North Carolina. The 13 strong group, led by AdvantageWest Economic Development, will receive $766,256 (€570,133) to fortify the biofuels sector and help with expansion in the region through a project called Planting the Seeds for a Robust WNC Biofuels Sector. It is hoped the project will hope to achieve goals like expanding feedstock availability, improving value-chain economics and establishing a new test laboratory. A 50% match of that total grant will be added by the consortium to make an overall investment of $1.14 million. ‘The value of this concerted effort cannot be overstated,’ Biofuels Centre CEO Steven Burke was quoted as saying. ‘This will further position the state to grow jobs, secure its energy future and enhance our environment. Moreover, that the collaborators will invest nearly $400,000 in this project demonstrates the region’s firm commitment to developing new sectors and new economies.’ l
news in brief Thailand ethanol plant closed after dumping discovered An ethanol plant in Thailand has been ordered to temporarily close after it was discovered to be dumping untreated wastewater on land in a neighbouring district. The plant, operated by AA Ethanol, is situated in Prachin Buri and governor Chitra Promchutima received notice for closure as it failed to repair the wastewater treatment system as required following a visit by the Department of Industrial Works in January. AA Ethanol also failed to present an explanation of how it would deal with the reported 1,000m3 of wastewater released per day. All repairs must be completed before the start of April, with AA Ethanol management having to request permission to reopen in person at the Prachin Buri industry office.
Brazil ethanol sector could be given more good news Brazil’s energy minister Edison Lobao has said the government could cut taxes on sugarcane-derived ethanol to alleviate pressures on the sector. The pressure comes from rising costs that has left biofuels struggling to compete with petrol. Any potential tax relief would bolster, and not replace, the restored mandatory ethanol content in petrol back up from 20 to 25% coming this May. Lobao revealed that ‘tax cuts are one measure in a set of many we’re examining’. This comes after oil producer Petrobras announced at the end of January that petrol prices were set to rise at the pump for the first time since 2006.
Cash injection and biofuel jobs boost for Enerkem Canada-based waste-to-biofuels business Enerkem has received a multimillion finance injection from Waste Management of Canada. Further to the $37 million (€27.6 million) awarded Enerkem has announced it has recruited the first employees for its new biofuels facility in Alberta. A 25-year agreement to build and operate a plant that will produce and sell second generation biofuels and renewable chemicals has been signed with the City of Edmonton, which will supply 100,000 dry tonnes of municipal solid waste a year. ‘With plant commissioning expected to begin this summer, it’s exciting to see the facility’s first employees join the Enerkem team and start their technical training,’ says Vincent Chornet, president and CEO of Enerkem.
Six new ethanol fuel facilities set for Brazil Brazilian biofuels producer Vinema Biorefinarias do Sul (VBS) is planning to build the country’s first ethanol fuel mills that use grain as raw material. VBS wants to construct six mills at a total of BRL720 million (€265 million) and expects to secure BRL40 million of equity commitments for the first plant due to be based in Cristal. It is believed VBS expects all six plants to be online by 2020, jointly producing 600 million litres of fuel a year on a variety of rice, oats and sorghum feedstocks, in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul.
8 march/april 2013 biofuels international