Biofuels plant opens to become UK's biggest buyer of wheat

Vivergo plant near Hull will take 1.1m tonnes of wheat a year to turn into ethanol and animal feedA new biofuels plant that has opened today near Hull will be the UK's biggest buyer of wheat, and the biggest supplier of animal feed.Vivergo's plant at Saltend in the Humber estuary, opened with £350m investment, will take in 1.1m tonnes annually of wheat that would otherwise be used for animal feed and produce an estimated 420m litres a year of ethanol, to be mixed with petrol and used in vehicles. A byproduct of the process is high-protein feed for livestock, with about 500,000 tonnes expected a year.Vivergo said the construction and implementation of the plant had already created or helped support more than 1,000 jobs in the area, and there will be 80 full-time employees at the site.Renewable energy experts and farming representatives hailed the new plant, but there are also concerns over the greenhouse savings from biofuels, and the potential for food price rises as crops are diverted to produce ethanol.Kenneth Richter of Friends of the Earth said: "This is not a good thing. We haven't got wheat to burn, and the UK has recently turned from being an exporter of wheat to a net importer. The weather has played a big part, but it shows that we haven't got spare wheat."Clare Wenner, head of renewable transport at the Renewable Energy Association, said: "Biofuels developed here in the UK are among the most sustainable in the world in terms of greenhouse gas savings. This is a fan...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - Category: Science Authors: Tags: Energy News guardian.co.uk Technology Energy research UK news Biofuels Energy industry Environment Business Renewable energy Carbon emissions Science Source Type: news