The construction of ethanol plant in Romania is expected to be completed by the end of 2021, said Swiss-based chemical company Clarion.
The statement from the company said that, once completed, this sunliquid cellulosic ethanol plant will process some250,000 tons of straw per year to produce 50,000 tons of ethanol. The construction of the plant started in September 2018 and it was initially scheduled to be completed by the end of 2020. However, the project faced delays, due to the coronavirus pandemic among other things.
The ethanol plant is being built near Craiova and the project received more than 40 million euros in funding from the EU. The location was chosen so that the plant will have access to a secure regional supply of feedstock and could benefit from the region’s existing logistic and industrial infrastructure.
Last month, The largest Romanian oil and gas company OMV Petrom is planning to build a bioethanol plant and will apply for EU funds to finance the project. The company reportedly submitted a project worth some 245 million euros to the Ministry of Economy and Energy to get 35 % of the investment subsidized under the Modernization Fund – mechanism 10d of the European EU-ETS directive. OMV Petrom plans to build a second-generation bioethanol plant, which, in principle, is eligible for EU funding. The oil company intends to develop this factory in Prahova county, where OMV Petrom has oil wells as well as Petrobrazi oil refinery.