Biodiesel plant gets green light

Paul Quinn, general manager of Biodiesel New Zealand, says the company is proceeding with development of a plant near Christchurch, which initially will produce at least 15 million liters a year. “We will be operating by early 2009, in time to process oil from about 5,000 hectares of autumn-sown oilseed rape now in the ground around the South Island. The crop can be expected to result in more than 7 million liters of pure biodiesel we can sell locally, he said. The Canterbury plant has been designed to allow a further quadrupling of capacity and the business is continuing to build relationships with farmers interested in including oilseed rape within their farm production, with agreements for a substantial spring planting now being negotiated. (July 3, 2008)

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