Mission NewEnergy gets German approval

Global renewable energy company Mission NewEnergy Ltd.’s wholly-owned subsidiary Mission Biotechnologies Sdn Bhd (MBT) has become the first biodiesel manufacturer in the world to be certified by the German government-supported International Sustainability and Carbon Certification Project. According to Mission, Germany, the world’s largest market for biodiesel, will require that all biodiesel used in the country be compliant with new stringent sustainability laws starting January 1, 2010. The rest of Europe will be required to adopt the same compliance procedure by 2011. The certification came just as Mission NewEnergy announced plans to invest 130 million ringgit (US$36.48 million) to increase the capacity of its biodiesel refinery at Kuantan Port on the east coast of Malaysia. The company said it aims to up the production of its refinery from 100,000 tons per by another 250,000 tons this year. (April 28/29, 2009)