Natural Fuels opens Darwin biodiesel facility

A 140-million-liter biodiesel manufacturing facility owned by Natural Fuels Australia Ltd. (NFAL) in Darwin, Australia, opened on November 23, with Northern Territory Chief Minister Clare Martin on hand at the opening. Primary feedstock for the A$40 million (US$31 million) facility will be RBD (refined, bleached and deodorized) palm olein. RBD palm oil is obtained from refining crude palm oil. The plant will also produce 12,000 tons per year of pharmaceutical grade glycerine. Production will start in early 2007. NFAL CEO Richard Selwood said the company was in the early stages of investigating growing locally produced energy crops such as soybean. The location of the Darwin plant provides NFAL with ready access to global supply chain logistics, including feedstock imports from Malaysia and Indonesia, and advantageous distribution networking by road, rail and sea, he said. NFAL is a 50-50 joint venture between Natural Fuel Ltd. (NFL) and Babcock & Brown Environmental Investments Ltd. (November 23, 2006)