Prime minister lays the first stone of the new Oleon biodiesel plant in Ertvelde


By end 2006 the European capacity of biodiesel will have exceeded the 5 million tons. The European Community has put forth a guideline that by 2010 5,75 % of all fossil fuels for transport will have to be replaced by biofuels. This represents 9 million tons biodiesel. This objective will certainly be reached, in capacity probably already before 2010.

For Oleon biodiesel is an enormous opportunity. Oleon, who already produced last year the first Belgian biodiesel, is as no other familiarised with the production techniques. The Ertvelde plant is from a logistics point of view extremely well located in the triangle Antwerp - Rotterdam - Dunkirk, three major petroleum harbours where the biodiesel will be blended with the regular diesel. A major asset is also that the production of biodiesel generates glycerine as a by-product. Oleon is at the moment one of the world leaders in glycerine and has therefore decided to additionally invest in the production of glycerine. The total investment amounts to 28,5 million Euro. The new biodiesel plant costs 19,5 million Euro. The capacity of the glycerine refinery will also be doubled, an investment of 7 million Euro. These new investments also involve new jobs. The employment rate will rise with 25 persons in Ertvelde, of which this year already 15 were hired. For the supply of rapeseed oil, several contracts were concluded in Belgium and abroad.