 The company said it would build the plant at Grangemouth |
Plans to build one of Europe's biggest bio-diesel plants in Grangemouth, near Falkirk, have been given the go-ahead by Falkirk Council. The town is already home to a refinery operated by Ineos Enterprises.
The new plant aims to produce an annual output of half a million tonnes of bio-diesel and should be operational by mid-2008.
The international manufacturer applied for permission to build the �65m plant in March.
As well as the Grangemouth site, the company is planning to build three more sites in Belgium, Germany and a second one in France.
Climate change
Councillor Angus MacDonald, from the authority's regulatory committee, said the development was good news for the future of the area.
He said: "This multi-million pound investment by Ineos in bio-fuel production at Grangemouth is tremendous news for Grangemouth and the wider Falkirk district.
"There will clearly be a knock-on effect from which many other local firms will benefit.
"Increased production of bio-fuels will also provide new opportunities for the local agricultural sector with a greater demand for crops suitable for bio-fuel production."
Bio-diesel is an alternative fuel made from renewable sources like vegetable oils.
It can either be mixed with petroleum-based diesel or, in some industrial processes, used on its own.
Using bio-fuels is considered one way of helping to tackle climate change, although some environmentalists argue that adapting overall transport policy would be more effective.
One-Minute World News 
News services
E-mail this to a friend 
Printable version 
Bookmark with:
What are these?