New Zealand’s Solid Energy proceeds with first stage of biodiesel expansion, halts second stage due to economy

In New Zealand, Solid Energy announced that it would proceed with biodiesel expansion plans to 1.1 Mgy but would review the second step of its expansion, which would have expanded capacity to 5.5 Mgy. The company blamed economic conditions for the halt. The company will move from waste vegetable oil as a feedstock to a mix of rapeseed and WVO as part of the expansion, and said it would pay farmers $700 per tonne for rapeseed.

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