Hull bioethanol plant a step closer to opening

Commissioning of the £300m Vivergo bioethanol plant at Saltend near Hull is under way and the plant is on track to open in just a few months time.



The “farm” end of the facility – namely grain intake and animal feed drying – was already being tested and other areas would soon be ready for commissioning, Vivergo Fuels managing director Dave Richards told Farmers Weekly at a biofuels debate organised by BP on Tuesday (28 February).


“We’re on target for opening in late spring. This year will be about getting the plant started, while 2013 will be about running the business at full capacity.”


Some 1.1m tonnes of feed wheat will be required annually when the plant is at capacity, sourced through Frontier. This will make Vivergo the largest tip point for wheat in the UK and also the largest single-source supplier of animal feed – produced as a by-product from the ethanol production process.


About 500,000t of high-protein animal feed will be made each year, enough for 340,000 dairy cows a day, Mr Richards said.


He was confident issues that had dogged the early days of the Ensus bioethanol plant could be avoided, but acknowledged there may be some teething problems to overcome in the early days of operation.


Ensus closed temporarily last May, but is also scheduled to open this spring. Once at full capacity, it will take about 1m tonnes of UK feed wheat sourced through Glencore.


Proving the sustainability of feedstocks (ie wheat) would be a key factor in winning the trust of biofuel sceptics, Mr Richards added. Future acceptance of the Red Tractor assurance scheme under the Renewable Energy Directive would allow UK growers to meet these sustainability requirements, but future policy changes could mean more detailed carbon footprinting information would be required, he said.



Vivergo Fuels


• Joint venture between BP, AB Sugar and DuPont


• Largest biofuel producer in UK and fifth largest ethanol producer in Europe


• Requires 1.1m tonnes feed wheat at capacity, sourced mostly from Yorkshire and Lincolnshire


• Output will be 420m litres bioethanol (one-third of UK requirement) and 500,000t high protein animal feed


• Bioethanol offers 50% greenhouse gas saving over standard petrol


• See www.vivergofuels.com or www.frontierag.co.uk

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