Member Article

New plant "shows we are UK's green fuel centre"

Renewable energy company Ensus has successfully raised the finance needed to create its first bioethanol production plant at Wilton. Renew Tees Valley, the company which promotes Tees Valley as a location for renewable energy production, has described the announcement as ‘a very significant step forward in establishing our area as a key centre for green fuel technology.’

Doctor Dermot Roddy, Chief Executive of Renew Tees Valley, was responding to the announcement by Ensus that it has obtained the support of two major private equity firms, enabling it to go ahead with the development of the plant on a 30-acre site at Wilton, with production beginning early in 2009. It is estimated that 800 jobs will be created during construction of the site, in addition to 100 jobs at the plant itself. Ensus are planning to use locally sourced wheat in the production process, and expect to support up to 1500 associated farming jobs in the nearby area.

Doctor Roddy said: “The fact that Ensus has been able to gain the financial backing it needs to go ahead with the Wilton project demonstrates the increasing recognition of the opportunities in the renewable energy field—and that must be good news for our area which is now clearly the UK’s key centre for a wide range of technologies.

“One of the key factors is the strong backing for switching to green fuels coming from both the European Union and the UK Government, such as the measure to ensure that biofuels must make up at least five per cent of the country’s transport fuel requirements by 2010.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .