Ethanol business set for Great Fish River Valley

MORE details on the planned R52-million ethanol plant to be built in Cradock have been revealed by Energy Minister Dipuo Peter. Introducing the debate on her budget in the National Assembly this week Peters said the 19-million litre plant – which will make ethanol from sugar-beet – was being developed by the Central Energy Fund, the Industrial Development Corporation and the Eastern Cape government. It was expected to be commissioned in 2011, She said the project had been under development for the past three years and “has the potential to create a viable fuel-grade ethanol business based on sugar beet grown in the Great Fish River Valley. “The agricultural activities will create 1500 jobs eventually and more than 1000 temporary job during construction of the ethanol processing plant.” Peters said the Cradock project was one of many that would be developed over the next five years, with the goal of displacing at least five per cent of crude oil-based fuels with bio-fuels. (June 25, 2009)