Greenergy, the UK’s largest supplier of road fuels, has reached an agreement with Oiltanking, a leading tank terminal operator, to purchase an idle biodiesel manufacturing facility located at Oiltanking’s site in Amsterdam.
The acquisition of a third biodiesel plant will allow Greenergy to meet growing demand for waste-based biofuel in the UK and Europe.
The Amsterdam biodiesel manufacturing facility was built in 2010 to process vegetable oils but was never commissioned. Greenergy plans to carry out works over the next year to convert the facility to process waste oils rather than vegetable oils and then to add further production capacity.
Greenergy already owns two major biodiesel manufacturing facilities on the east coast of England, at Immingham and Teesside, making it Europe’s largest manufacturer of biodiesel from waste. These plants were both also originally designed to process vegetable oils and have been adapted by Greenergy to process waste oils with a wide range of different quality characteristics.
Andrew Owens, Greenergy chief executive, explained: “Demand for waste-based biodiesel is rising rapidly in the UK and Europe as a result of higher obligated biofuel inclusion rates. Over the last few years we have scaled up our raw material supply chains and invested in our UK manufacturing facilities, increasing output through a variety of incremental investments. We are now leveraging these skills and capabilities to develop a third plant.”
The location in Amsterdam benefits from deep-water access, allowing for break bulk on long-haul shipments of waste oils. It will also allow for growth in Greenergy’s supply of waste-based biodiesel to customers across Europe.
Under a long-term agreement, Oiltanking will provide Greenergy with storage facilities for raw materials and finished biodiesel, as well as a range of support services.
Jan Willem van Velzen, managing director of Oiltanking Amsterdam, said: “Oiltanking has successfully found an experienced new owner for the biodiesel facility. Oiltanking will also be investing into its own infrastructure in order to accommodate Greenergy’s logistical needs. As Greenergy’s logistical partner we are proud to become an integral part of this green sustainable supply chain.”
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