News

INEOS Enterprises has today announced it has entered into a strategic partnership with Great Plains – The Camelina Company - that will see significant growth in the output of camelina, an exciting new non-food oilseed crop used in alternative fuels production. 

Great Plains, the world leader in the science and agronomy of camelina, has pioneered its use as a key raw material in the production of biodiesel, which is quickly becoming the leading replacement for conventional fuel oils used in industrial and transportation applications. INEOS Enterprises will bring to the partnership a significant outlet for camelina through its ambitious strategy to become the premier global biodiesel supplier.

Camelina is a highly sustainable feedstock for biodiesel production in that it can be grown on marginal land and needs only limited supplies of water, fertiliser and pesticides. The crop, which is crushed for oil extraction, fits into existing agricultural operations as it can be planted and harvested using current equipment and systems. It will allow land not currently used to be brought back into production in many arid areas. A further benefit is provided through the camelina meal that remains after crushing, which is a protein rich animal feed to sustain agricultural livestock. 

Comments Dr Harry Deans, CEO INEOS Enterprises: “This is a perfect fit with our ongoing expansion programme in biodiesel. Camelina is a highly sustainable raw material that will provide us with a platform for further development in this very important area, particularly in the American market.”

Sam Huttenbauer, President of Great Plains comments: “We are very excited by the prospects for camelina in applications for alternative fuels such as biodiesel. Having a partner like INEOS Enterprises allows us to significantly accelerate our development programmes to establish camelina as a truly sustainable fuel crop.” 

INEOS Enterprises is pressing ahead with its ambitious programme of investments in new world-scale biodiesel facilities globally, including a new production unit at Grangemouth, Scotland and expansion of its existing operations at Baleycourt, France. These facilities along with other planned investments in France, Germany and Belgium will provide INEOS Enterprises with more than 2 million tonnes of biodiesel output by 2012, with at least 1.2 million tonnes in place by 2010. Great Plains is currently progressing its own significant investment programme in dedicated camelina crushing operations in Montana, USA.

Through this partnership INEOS Enterprises and Great Plains share a common vision of developing their respective leading positions in biodiesel whilst providing the agricultural communities with a new and sustainable crop alternative. 



For further information please contact:

Craig Welsh, INEOS Enterprises Press Office
Phone: + 44 (0) 1928 511528
Email: craig.welsh@ineoschlor.com


Warren E. Clark, Great Plains Press Office
Phone: 00 1 847-836-5100 
Email: media@camelinacompany.com


Notes to editors

• INEOS is the world's third largest chemicals company; a leading manufacturer of petrochemicals, specialty chemicals and oil products. Comprising 18 businesses, with a production network spanning 73 manufacturing facilities in 18 countries, the company produces more than 30 million tonnes of petrochemicals, 20 million tons per annum of crude oil refined products (fuels). INEOS employs 16,600 people and has sales of around $38bn.
• INEOS Enterprises is a portfolio of eight leading businesses manufacturing chemical products in Northern Europe and Southeast Asia, with sales of these products to customers around the world. The Company is focused on the developing needs of customers and rapid growth through investment in new products and manufacturing facilities or by acquisition. INEOS Enterprises employs some 500 people across sites in the UK, France, Germany and Thailand and has an annual turnover in excess of €600 million.
• Biofuels are sources of energy that are manufactured from renewable resources, for example rapeseed. Specifically, biodiesel is an alternative fuel produced from renewable sources such as vegetable oils that can be blended with diesel and used to power conventional diesel engines without modification. It can also be used as a replacement fuel for oil in industrial processes
• Great Plains – The Camelina Company - is the world leader in the science and agronomics of camelina, possessing strengths in molecular breeding and genomics as well as logistical systems designed specifically for camelina. The Company has pioneered the use of camelina as a key raw material in the production of biodiesel and is dedicated to the improvement of its fuel characteristics. Its downstream capabilities include refining, distribution, and marketing.
• The initial operations of the partnership between INEOS Enterprises and Great Plains have already commenced in Montana, Canada and the Pacific Northwest. Great Plains’ development of its own crushing operations, with equipment tailored for camelina and located near prime growing regions, is well underway. Expansion of the growing and production programme will make a vital contribution to the availability of alternative fuels in North America.