Agrana launches 240,000 tonne sugar beet ethanol plant in Austria

In Austria, Agrana has launched a 240,000 tonne corn and sugar beet ethanol plant in Pischelsdorf. The $180 million project will employ a staff of 69. The company had delayed a planned opening in March due to high feedstock prices, saying that high wheat grain prices had forced a switch to corn as a feedstock. Austria has an E4.3 mandate which it meets using imports from the Hungarian producer Hungrana.

Austria background

Raiffeisen Landesbank Oberstereich CEO Ludwig Scharinger said that the bank will lead a $40 million rescue of the Enns biodiesel plant, and said that the plant would be fully operational in 2009. RLB had been a minority shareholder in the enterprise, which succumbed to the impact of rising feedstock prices in Europe.

Austrian oil baron Rudi Roth announced that MOL has increased its ownership to 33 percent in the 43 Mgy canola-based Rossi Biofuels biodiesel plant in Komarom. Roth will invest a total $50 million in the project, which will be the largest environmental joint venture between Austria and Hungary. MOL previously said it would own 25 percent, Roth had previously pegged his investment at $50 million.
In Hungary had been experiencing numerous setbacks in the development of its biofuels industry.

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