Green energy firm to build €21m bio-fuels plant

A new era in recycling and eco-friendly energy is on the way with a state-of-the-art bio-fuels plant being built in Co Wexford.

Turning animal fats and vegetable oil into fuel for cars, the €21 facility in New Ross will supply greener diesel to the Irish and European markets.

It will churn out 34 million litres of fuel a year, making Ireland one of the world leaders in the field.

Noel Dempsey, Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, turned the sod on the plant today allowing construction, which is expected to take about a year, to get under way.

Run by Green Biofuels Ireland production is due to begin in mid-2008.

PJ Darcy, chairman of the company, said it was a monumental first step in putting Ireland on the world map as a producer of bio-fuels.

“This is the first commercial scale facility of its kind in Ireland and it will be capable of converting a broad spectrum of feed stocks such as animal fats and vegetable oils into high value products,” he said.

“The market for bio-diesel is growing rapidly with demand exceeding supply. Demand is driven by EU legislation and by a consumer desire to use cleaner low emission products.”

Bio-diesel is a clean burning alternative to mineral diesel fuel. EU production is expected to reach 6.8 billion litres by 2008 while the EU target of 5.75% biofuels to be reached by 2010 is equivalent to around 27 billion litres of biofuel a year.

The value of the UK market alone is estimated to reach €1.56bn by 2010.

Green Biofuels Ireland’s fuel will be marketed as a 5% blend and sold through the leading oil distributors.

Shareholders in the project, including local farmers, will supply the majority of raw materials including recycled vegetable oil, animal fats and rapeseed oil.

Four thousand farmers from the Wexford co-op will supply rapeseed oil and contracts have already been put in place with farmers to sow rapeseed for exclusive supply to the new facility.

The New Ross plant will be the first commercial scale bio-diesel production facility in the country.

Thirty people will be employed there and management hope to record a turnover of €14m in the first year.