07 October 2005 – Cargill has announced that its biodiesel plant will be built in Industriepark Höchst in Frankfurt/Main. The Industriepark is located 30 km from Cargill’s oilseed crush plant in Mainz. Capable of producing 200,000 tons of the fuel per year, the project represents an investment of more than 25 million euros. Fifteen new jobs will be created by the project, initially announced in July.
"The new facility will enable us to meet our customers' increasing demand for biofuels and will complement our existing oilseed crushing and refining operations in Germany’s Rhine-Main region," says Jack van den Hoek, manager of Cargill’s biodiesel and biomass operations in Europe.
Construction is expected to start in the fourth quarter of 2005, with production commencing in August 2006. The plant will turn vegetable oils into fatty acid methylesters, or biodiesel.
Work will soon begin to prepare a 10,000-square-metre tract in Industriepark Höchst for the plant. Since the tract – in the northern part of the Industriepark – has the infrastructure necessary for the plant's operations, preparations can proceed quickly in the coming weeks.
In addition, existing ship loading and unloading capacities will be strengthened in line with the increased requirements. The infrastructure in the Industriepark was a decisive factor in Cargill’s choice of the site.
“For some time, we have felt that this region is ideally situated for the production and supply of biodiesel – both in terms of its geographical location and in the availability of raw materials such as rapeseed oil and other vegetable oils which can be supplied via the Rhine. Now we have found a professional partner in Infraserv Höchst, who will do all that's necessary for the plant's successful operation”, says van den Hoek.
Dr. Roland Mohr, co-managing director of site operator Infraserv Höchst along with Jürgen Vormann, said Cargill's confidence was justified. "We're naturally very pleased that an internationally renowned company like Cargill has chosen Industriepark Höchst for such a big investment," he remarks, adding that the new biodiesel plant would fit in well with existing production facilities and the Industriepark's strong infrastructure. "This project will greatly enhance the Industriepark both as a production site and network of competence."
Cargill announced in January that it would expand capacity at its oilseed crushing plants in Germany – in Salzgitter, Riesa and Mainz. The expansion will allow the company to maintain vegetable oil supplies to food customers while meeting the growing demand for vegetable oils for the production of biodiesel. Cargill already has a biodiesel project in Germany – a joint venture with Agravis Raiffeisen AG in Wittenberge.
Cargill has a number of actual and planned investments and joint ventures for the production of biodiesel and ethanol in both the United States and Europe.
Cargill
Cargill is an international provider of food, agricultural and risk management products and services. With 124,000 employees in 59 countries, the company is committed to using its knowledge and experience to collaborate with customers to help them succeed. For more information, visit http://www.cargill.com
Cargill in Germany
Cargill has been active in Germany since 1955 with activities in grain and non-grain feed ingredient trading, oilseed crushing, refining and hardening, malt production, food ingredients sales and biodiesel. Cargill has eight locations, including a biodiesel joint venture with Agravis Raiffeisen AG in Wittenberge. Earlier this year, Cargill acquired the Schierstedter Schokoladefabrik GmbH & Co KG (SSF) industrial chocolate facility from Ludwig Schokolade GmbH & Co. KG and in 2004 Cargill acquired The Nestlé Group’s primary cocoa processing plant in Hamburg.
Infraserv Höchst
Infraserv Höchst is a leading service provider and full-service site operator for the chemicals and pharmaceuticals industries. Based in Frankfurt/Main, Infraserv GmbH & Höchst KG supplies firms in the process industry with products and services in energy, facility management, safety, security, environmental protection and waste management. The wholly owned subsidiaries of the Infraserv Höchst Group include Infraserv Logistics, Infraserv Höchst Technik, Provadis, chemfidence and Technion.
Infraserv GmbH & Co. Höchst KG has 2,089 employees and 204 trainees on its payrolls. The Infraserv Höchst Group has 3,755 employees and 244 trainees. In 2004, Infraserv Höchst and its subsidiaries generated € 907 million in revenues.
The Frankfurt-Höchst Industrial Park is home to more than 80 companies in pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, basic and specialty chemicals, crop protection, food additives and services. Some 22,000 people come to work at the Industrial Park every day. The site covers 460 hectares (1,375 acres); 89 hectares (266 acres) are still available for use. The companies in the Industrial Park invested some € 390 million in the site in 2004.
All of Infraserv Höchst's press releases and pictures are available online at http://www.infraserv.com. To contact our press hotline, please call: +49 (0)69 305-5413.
Contacts:
Cargill – Geraldine O’Shea
Phone: +44-1932-861-174
geraldine_o’shea@cargill.com
Infraserv Höchst – Michael Müller
Phone: +49 69 305-7952
Mobile: +49 172 6823176
michael.mueller3@infraserv.com
back
up
print