EU in strategic biofuel partnerships – Inbicon as partner

Press release from DONG Energy sent at 01:57 PM on Tuesday 25.05.2010

EU in strategic biofuel partnerships – Inbicon as partner

In a major energy technology initiative within innovative biofuels the EU Commission has entered into strategic partnerships with the industry. The partnerships include four European biofuel projects, Inbicon’s demonstration plant in Kalundborg, Denmark, being one of them.

In a news alert Thursday 20 May the EU Commission, Department of Energy, writes "Through their size, scope and ambition to enable the integration of large volumes of biofuels in the EU market these four projects will form the foundations of the European Industrial Bioenergy Initiative".

Being one of these initiatives Inbicon’s demonstration plant is given the seal of approval by the Commission and receives a grant of DKK 67.7 million (EUR 9.1 mio.). The grant is given to a specific project at the Inbicon plant – the Kalundborg Cellulosic Ethanol Project (Kacelle) which is devoted to optimizing the production processes in the demonstration plant resulting in significant cost cuts in ethanol production.

“We are grateful that the EU Commission with visionary support has made it possible for us to be standing with a technology solid enough to be exported globally. The partnership between the Commission and the industry at the same time gives European companies an advantage in the new growth area of biomass refining”, said Niels Henriksen, CEO of Inbicon.

The partners in the Kacelle project are six organizations, all with individual competencies within the areas of biomass, enzymes or ethanol; Statoil (Denmark), Royal DSM (The Netherlands), German Biomass Research Centre (Germany), University of Copenhagen – LIFE (Denmark), University of Minho, Braga (Portugal), and Inbicon (Denmark).

Inbicon is a fully owned subsidiary of DONG Energy. On inbicon.com you can find more info on Inbicon and the Kacelle project.

It is within the context of the 7th EU Research and Development Programme, the Commission is bringing together advanced industrial players in Europe on lignocellulosic ethanol production. Three other European biofuel projects will also be supported.

Facts about the Inbicon Biomass Refinery

Raw materials 

• 4 t/h equivalent to 30,000 tonnes of straw a year

• Enzymes supplied by Danisco Genencor and Novozymes

Annual production 

• 5.4 million litres of bioethanol

• 13,000 tonnes of lignin pellets

• 11,100 tonnes C5 molasses

Costs - Total construction costs: 

• About 400 million DKK (54 mio. EUR)

Grants 

• Design and construction is supported by the Danish EUDP Programme with 76.7 million DKK (10.3 mio. EUR)

• Demonstration is supported by the EU - European Seventh Framework Programme with 67.7 million DKK (9.1 mio. EUR)

Contact information:

For further information, contact:

Media Relations

Ulrik Frøhlke

+45 9955 9560