Mission delays opening of second biodiesel plant

Mission Biofuels has pushed back the likely opening date for its second biodiesel plant in the Malaysian port of Kuantan to December, a top official with the company said. Mission said in a statement to shareholders that even though construction work at the 250,000 metric ton per year (mtpy) or 4,900 barrel per day (bpd) plant was “progressing extremely well,” building work was eight weeks behind schedule and its contractor was adding extra shifts to try and overcome the delay. Like most biodiesel producers in Southeast Asia, Mission is struggling to cope with the soaring cost for palm oil, its principal feedstock, that was not anticipated at the time that construction began on its plants. (May 9, 2008)