Planning permission is to be sought for a €50 million bio-diesel production plant at Ringaskiddy, Co Cork. Energy company Bioverda has declared its intention to seek planning permission for the plant on the former ADM complex in Cork Harbour.
Bioverda has partnered with Cork businessmen John and Pat O'Flynn of South Coast Transport on this project. It is expected to create up to 30 jobs. The development will incorporate part of an existing storage tank farm formerly owned by ADM and will include its refurbishment.
Construction of the bio-diesel plant will be on an adjacent industrial site at the northwest end of the existing deep-water terminal.
Subject to the granting of planning permission, Bioverda aims to begin construction by September 2008 with a view to completion at the end of 2009.
The plant will use modern technology to convert vegetable oil, sourced internationally and locally, to high quality bio-diesel.
Bioverda hopes to use the plant to produce more than 220 million litres of bio-diesel a year, mostly from imported rapeseed oil.
The company is the bioenergy subsidiary of NTR, Ireland's leading private sector developer of renewable energy and sustainable waste management.
Bioverda is operating two fully integrated rapeseed crushing and esterification facilities in Germany and began construction of two large corn-to-ethanol plants in the US in partnership with Virgin Biofuels in early 2007.
In Ireland, Bioverda is the largest landfill gas-to-energy operator, with seven landfill sites generating 25MW of energy.
Official planning permission for the plant in Ringaskiddy is to be lodged in the next fortnight.