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Biofuels plant Ensus has been bought by a German firm, in a £11.6m share deal that will see it benefit from £50m of investment from its new owners. Ensus started up its plant at the Wilton site in 2010, producing bioethanol used for greener road fuel together with high protein animal feed and CO2 for the food and drinks industries. Former owners The Carlyle Group will become a shareholder in CropEnergies, which intends to restart the plant once essential maintenance work is completed. “As one of the most successful bioethanol producers in the industry, CropEnergies brings huge expertise and experience in this field, as well as a strong commitment to invest further in the Ensus operations in the UK. It is great news for our employees, customers and suppliers.” “This puts us on a much stronger footing and means we can look to the future with real confidence.” But the plant, which cost £250m to build, went offline for a second time in May 2011 for “a number of business and economic reasons”. In a hiatus that lasted 15 months, 100 staff were retained on full pay. CropEnergies meanwhile is one of the largest bioethanol producers in Europe. Founded in Mannheim, Germany in 2006, the company is also a member of Suzucker group, the largest sugar producer in Europe, and it has production facilities in Germany, Belgium, the UK, and France as well as trading offices in the USA and Brazil. Hall said: “This is great news for the workers and great news for Teesside. Having worked closely with Ensus for the last couple of years, I know the challenges they have faced and I’m delighted they have navigated their way to a positive outcome. “I’m sure the staff are keen to get back to work and I look forward to seeing the plant back up and running at full capacity later in the year.” “I am especially pleased at the news that £50m will be invested in the plant to make it even more competitive and I’m sure the new owners will also want to be good neighbours for the local community.” Continue reading →