ROBE drops biodiesel component of oilseed crushing complex

Riverina Oils and Bio Energy (ROBE), the company building a A$60 million (US$56.76 million) oilseed crushing complex in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia has withdrawn plans for a biodiesel plant.  New South Wales Planning has called for submissions on the revised plan by ROBE. The new plan removes the biodiesel component and would involve a new processing system, a different site layout and a new 40- mega liter wastewater dam for irrigating a 25-hectare site nearby. The driving force behind the project, Melbourne-based businessman Dhruv Saxena, said that ROBE was dumping biofuel production because it was uneconomical in the current climate. A year ago it was expected the processing plant would be operating by this October, but there have been delays in the projects execution, the most recent being caused by months of wet weather. (September 17, 2010)