INEOS Bio Picks AMEC To Construct Its BioEnergy Center

INEOS Bio's joint venture (INEOS New Planet BioEnergy) has awarded the Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contract to build its bioenergy facility in Southeast Florida to AMEC of Tucker, GA. AMEC will provide engineering and construction expertise to build this first commercial scale facility, valued at over $100 million. The facility will produce eight million gallons of third-generation ethanol and six megawatts (gross) of renewable energy annually from renewable biomass including yard wastes and municipal solid waste, wood and vegetative wastes. AMEC was selected following an extensive evaluation process of qualified global EPC firms.

"This is a key milestone in bringing INEOS Bio's advanced Bioenergy technology to the US and global markets to help address the world's waste management challenges," said Peter Williams, CEO of INEOS Bio. "We offer a sustainable solution for energy independence which breaks the food-for-fuel chain and provides a plentiful supply of renewable bioenergy for new and developed markets," added Williams.

"INEOS Bio's partnership with AMEC brings us one step closer to opening the state-of-the-art BioEnergy Center in Indian River County, where it will bring both renewable energy and new green jobs," said Mark Niederschulte, COO of INEOS Bio. "We're confident that AMEC's experience and expertise in the biofuel sector will help INEOS New Planet BioEnergy accomplish a successful and timely completion of the much anticipated BioEnergy Center."

The BioEnergy Center, which will be located in Vero Beach, Florida comes at a time when the region is facing a 16% unemployment rate. The BioEnergy Center will provide 175 construction jobs as well as 50 full-time green jobs in the Treasure Coast community once the facility is completed. The project has already received its major permits and approvals from the State of Florida and the U.S. Government. The Indian River facility is scheduled to begin construction in 4th quarter of 2010 and begin production in 2012.

The heart of the INEOS Bio technology is a patented anaerobic fermentation step, through which naturally occurring bacteria convert gases derived directly from biomass into ethanol. Unlike other technologies that rely on one primary source of feedstock, the INEOS Bio process can produce ethanol and renewable energy from numerous feedstocks, including construction waste and municipal solid waste, forestry and agricultural waste, while breaking the link between food crops and ethanol production. This flexibility allows facilities, like the Florida BioEnergy Center, to be built anywhere in the world, wherever there is waste, providing jobs and locally sourced renewable energy for urban and rural communities.

Source : Press Release