Construction at Vivergo's € 435m World-Scale Bioethanol Plant Nears Completion

The company – based at Saltend, near Hull - will be one of the largest ethanol producers in Europe and the biggest in the UK, producing 420 million litres annually. It will also be the UK's largest single source supplier of animal feed, producing 500,000 tonnes per year.

Vivergo’s process will use 1.1 million tonnes of locally sourced, feed-grade wheat (making the company the UK's biggest single tip point) which will be converted into the bioethanol and animal feed products with no waste. As part of the commissioning process, the very first wheat was recently delivered to the Vivergo plant, through Frontier's Humber Gold club.

Vivergo’s bioethanol will offer Green House Gas (GHG) savings in excess of 50% over standard petrol, the equivalent of removing 200,000 cars from the road each year. Its animal feed production will provide the protein requirement for over 340,000 dairy cows every day, representing about 18% of the national dairy herd.

Dave Richards, Managing Director at Vivergo Fuels, said: "Vivergo Fuels represents one of the first major investments in the region’s developing renewables agenda to be realised, and we sincerely hope that many more follow. This area is perfectly positioned to capture more investment in this exciting and growing sector."

"We will directly employ around 80 highly skilled people – the majority of which have already been recruited and are from the local area - and we estimate that a further 1000+ jobs will be dependent on our business." "We are committed to providing wider benefits to the local area both socially and economically. Vivergo represents an investment in the region of £350m and to date we have directly contributed over £60m to the local economy in the Hull area through our supplier and business contracts. Over £175,000 has also been raised and donated by our team in support of local charities and community groups. We will continue to develop and sustain these relationships within the local area as we become operational."

Vivergo’s construction site is believed to be the UK's biggest construction/civil engineering site outside of the Olympic programme, and over 800 people have been employed through the company’s main contractors over the last few years. The company has an excellent safety record having achieved 4 million man hours without a Day Away from Work Case (DAFWC).

Vivergo has also received the RoSPA Gold Award for Occupational Health & Safety. Vivergo Fuels was formed in 2007 as a biorefinery for the future. As a joint venture between AB Sugar, BP and DuPont, this new £350m (~ € 435m) business will help to deliver about 1/3 of the UK's forecast biofuel demand for petrol once fully operational later in 2012.