Nigeria’s First Biofuel Refinery to be Constructed

Abuja, Nigeria | April 29, 2008 by D-8 Secretariat

Nigeria’s first ethanol refinery will be constructed by Global Biofuels. At full capacity the refinery will produce 1.5 million litres of ethanol a day using sorghum as feedstock. Plantations feeding the refinery will span seven Nigerian states, with further expansions being discussed. The refinery has been endorsed by The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC).

Global Biofuels CEO Felix Babatunde Obada disclosed that 30,000 hectares of land have been acquired to actualise the present phase of the project in Ondo State. Work will commence with initial cultivation of 50 hectares of land, to be upscaled to 300 hectares.

In June 2007 the government approved a national biofuels policy and incentives. A national workshop involving a wider range of stakeholders is being planned, and feasibility studies have been completed for five bioethanol projects at specific locations in three states. Feasibility studies on biodiesel are on-going and discussions are being held with potential investors to implement the project.

‘The biofuels industry is becoming a reality in Nigeria,’ MD of NNPC, Abubakar Yar’Adua, says. ‘Developed economies such as the US and Europe are stepping up their target usage of biofuel and Nigeria must not be left out.’

Biofuels is becoming one of the main topic mostly discussed by D-8. The organization is to have a 4th meeting the D-8 Energy Work Group meeting in Cairo in the period from 29 to 30th of April, 2008. The meeting is to be held and hosted by the Ministry of Petroleum of Egypt.

Prior to that, D-8 Secretary General, Dipo Alam, has appealed to all D-8 memberstates as developing countries to study and scrutinize this theme, while at the the same time keep on examining methods to overcome the challenge of sky-rocketing fuel and petroleoum prices.  D-8 organisation urges the cooperation of all related parties to formulate solution to the current high fuel price problem.

Read Also

• $4 Billions Investment Plan for Refinery in Nigeria
• Lesson from Nigeria on Challenges Biofuel Technology
• Nigeria to Build Bioethanol Refineries
• Nigerian Global Biofuels announces $750 million investment in sweet sorghum ethanol project
• Nigerian State Allocates Funds for Biofuels Development
• Nigeria builds a $115 millions investment on the Ethanol Factory with China
• Pakistan Biofuels Industry Calls for E5 Mandate
• Indonesia, Iran, and Malaysia to build $6b Oil Refinery in Banten
• Iran to build oil refinery in Indonesia
• Pakistan Ethanol Production to Reduce Oil Imports