Mannheim, October 19, 2006 - On October 19, 2006, the Belgian Federal Government announced the assignment of production volumes for biodiesel and bioethanol which had been offered in a Europe-wide tender on July 4, 2006
CropEnergies AG - through its subsidiary BioWanze S.A., Wanze, Belgium - received production licences for 125,000 m³ bioethanol per year for the period from October 1, 2007 to September 30, 2013. The decision was based on such factors as climate protection, energy efficiency, technology, and profitability.
Tax reduction for licensed bioethanol
The licence includes the tax exemption for the allocated volume of bioethanol. The beneficiaries of this tax reduction are to which - besides a low level of sulphur and aromatic compounds - have a minimum bioethanol share of 7%.
Leading market position in Belgium
CropEnergies is in the process of constructing a bioethanol plant with a yearly capacity of up to 300,000 m³ bioethanol in Wanze on the river Meuse. With the assigned volumes, CropEnergies AG takes up a leading market position in Belgium and secures the sales volume for a significant part of the production of the plant in Wanze. Due to the excellent connection of the Wanze-plant to the inland and deep-sea waterways, the volumes not sold in Belgium can be quickly and cost-effectively exported and delivered to the refineries of the international mineral oil industry in Antwerp and Rotterdam.
The CropEnergies AG
The CropEnergies-Group - a member of the Südzucker-Group - is an established and according to the production capacity a leading European producer of bioethanol for the fuel sector. For the current fiscal year, CropEnergies expects sales of more than 125 million ?.
"Crop" stands for "creative regeneration of power". Energy in the form of bioethanol is produced from renewable resources - grain and sugar beets. With subsidiaries in Germany, France, and Belgium, the CropEnergies-Group has established itself as a bioethanol producer in a growing market in just a few years and it operates today?s largest bioethanol plant in Europe in Zeitz, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. CropEnergies considers itself a pioneer on the German bioethanol market and will expand its market position in Europe. Since September 29, 2006, CropEnergies AG (ISIN DE000A0LAUP1) has been listed in the Prime Standard at the Frankfurt Stock Exchange.