UK's largest biodiesel plant given green light

ABS Biodiesel, a UK-based biodiesel production company, will start construction of a new biofuel production facility in the UK, following a decision by Bristol City Council planning department on 3 October.

The company will invest over £21million (€30 million) in the 24,500 square foot facility in Avonmouth Docks, which will cover three acres of undeveloped land at Bristol Port.

Avonmouth Port was selected for the plant due to its close proximity to major oil terminals and refineries, as well its location in an area of high feedstock production.

The site will produce approximately 225,000 tonnes of biodiesel, with the capacity of the site enabling a potential increase to 500,000 tonnes. The company has already pre-sold its first and second year capacity.

'We see demand coming from three main areas – retailers which are looking to establish strong green credentials, petrochemical companies which will need to meet renewable fuel legislation, and hauliers, due to ever rising transport costs,' Alan Bailey, business development director at ABS Biodiesel, says.

The 191,000 tonnes of biofuels consumed in the UK is estimated to climb to 2.5 million tonnes by 2008.

FCL Biofuels and Prio to launch biodiesel in the UK

UK-based supplier FCL Biofuels has collaborated with European sustainable fuel company, Prio SA, to launch the Portuguese consumer fuel PrioBio in the UK.

The biodiesel will be available from 1 November 2007, assisting forecourt fuel retailers to meet the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO).

By the end of 2007 the partnership's two biodiesel refineries in Romania and Portugal will have a total capacity of 200,000 tonnes, which will reach 400,000 tonnes by the end of 2010.

'The RTFO is the minimum our governments need to be doing to move us into a more sustainable future,' says Colin Walker, MD of FCL Biofuels. 'We see ourselves as the ideal biofuels partner because we control the whole supply chain from plant to pump. We plant the seed, grow it, harvest it, and refine it in one of two, specialist, European-based biodiesel refineries. We then deliver it through our in-house logistics and it's all backed up with our sales and marketing.'

The majority of the company's feedstock is grown in Europe. The crops grown are mostly indigenous: sunflowers in Portugal and rapeseed in Romania.

The RTFO is a requirement on transport fuel suppliers to ensure 5% of all road vehicle fuel supplied to the UK composed of sustainable renewable sources by 2010.

Prio SA is the biofuels division of Martifer Group. The group has earmarked an investment of about €320 million, comprising over 22 thousand hectares of land under cultivation for biofuel feedstock, two biodiesel refineries and its own storage and distribution networks.