British Sugar Start Ethanol Production

British Sugar, a unit of Associated British Foods (ABF), has started producing fuel ethanol at its plant in Wissington in early September. This is the UK's first bioethanol plant to be in operation. The plant, which processes surplus sugar beet as its feedstock, has the capacity to produce 55,000 tonne (70 Million litres) of bioethanol a year; and cost £20 million to build.

In June 2007, ABF also announced its joint investment plans with BP and DuPont to build a world-scale biofuel plant in the UK. This plant will produce bioethanol from wheat, and is to be built at BP's existing chemicals site at Saltend, Hull. Production capacity of the plant is expected to be 330,000 tonnes (420 million litres) of bioethanol and 360,000 tonnes of DDGS per year, and is planned to come on stream in late 2009. More UK bioethanol plants are also due to start operating in the next couple of years if all goes to plan.