Eastern Cape province invests €107 million into biofuels project
As South Africa declares biofuels a 'strategic sector', the government of the country's Eastern Cape province has unveiled a 1 billion Rand (€107/US$140.6 million) investment plan for a biodiesel and ethanol project in the Transkei region that could result in 70,000 hectares of canola (rapeseed) and sugar beet being planted and thousands of jobs being created. The crops will be planted on communal land.
Eastern Cape Premier Nosimo Balindlela said in her recent state of the province address that the province had been selected as the national pilot for the country's bioenergy initiative (earlier post). According to Balindlela, the project has the potential to create aournd 21,000 direct and indirect job opportunities.
Speaking at a media conference earlier, Agriculture MEC Gugile Nkwinti said that the 1 billion Rand investment included a plant in the East London industrial development zone that would be erected by a German investor with whom negotiations were now under way. He said the German investor was “ready to build the plant” and the matter would be taken further at a meeting on February 26. Nkwinti said that in the first phase, 20 000 hectares of canola would be planted:
biomass :: bioenergy :: biofuels :: energy :: sustainability :: canola :: sugarbeet :: ethanol :: biodiesel :: South Africa ::
He said there had unfortunately been a delay in ordering seed from Australia because a national framework for the biofuels industry had not been in place.
This would now take place next year, he said, adding that he wanted an Eastern Cape strategy developed “so that we do not delay”.
Communal land
Nkwinti stressed that planting would take place on communal land and the aim was to establish joint ventures that would benefit some of the villages. With regard to the sugar beet project, Nkwinti said the initial plan had been to grow sugar beet for export, but a feasibility study was now looking at the possibility of converting sugar beet to ethanol.
This was a joint venture with the Industrial Development Corporation, Sugarbeet SA and the national government following the decision to declare biofuels a strategic industry.
He said this decision had been taken in October last year and a decision on whether to proceed with the project would be taken next month. The main plant would be in Cradock as had been initially envisaged, with smaller plants in other parts of the province.
Eastern Cape Premier Nosimo Balindlela said in her recent state of the province address that the province had been selected as the national pilot for the country's bioenergy initiative (earlier post). According to Balindlela, the project has the potential to create aournd 21,000 direct and indirect job opportunities.
Speaking at a media conference earlier, Agriculture MEC Gugile Nkwinti said that the 1 billion Rand investment included a plant in the East London industrial development zone that would be erected by a German investor with whom negotiations were now under way. He said the German investor was “ready to build the plant” and the matter would be taken further at a meeting on February 26. Nkwinti said that in the first phase, 20 000 hectares of canola would be planted:
biomass :: bioenergy :: biofuels :: energy :: sustainability :: canola :: sugarbeet :: ethanol :: biodiesel :: South Africa ::
He said there had unfortunately been a delay in ordering seed from Australia because a national framework for the biofuels industry had not been in place.
This would now take place next year, he said, adding that he wanted an Eastern Cape strategy developed “so that we do not delay”.
Communal land
Nkwinti stressed that planting would take place on communal land and the aim was to establish joint ventures that would benefit some of the villages. With regard to the sugar beet project, Nkwinti said the initial plan had been to grow sugar beet for export, but a feasibility study was now looking at the possibility of converting sugar beet to ethanol.
This was a joint venture with the Industrial Development Corporation, Sugarbeet SA and the national government following the decision to declare biofuels a strategic industry.
He said this decision had been taken in October last year and a decision on whether to proceed with the project would be taken next month. The main plant would be in Cradock as had been initially envisaged, with smaller plants in other parts of the province.
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home