Ineos Bio’s joint venture, Ineos New Planet BioEnergy, has signed an engineering,
procurement and construction (EPC) contract with AMEC, to build Ineos Bio’s
first commercial scale facility. The $100 million project will include the
Florida-based company’s feedstock flexible technology for producing advanced
biofuels based on a patented anaerobic fermentation step that utilizes
naturally occurring bacteria to convert gases directly derived from biomass
into ethanol. For the EPC contract, “The process took about seven months from
identification, pre-qualification through selection,” said Dan Cummings, vice
president of Ineos Bio. The factors Ineos Bio looked for in an EPC contractor
included the contractor’s safety record, experience in biorefining and biomass
projects, experience with the U.S. DOE and the Biorefinery Program and the
ability to partner with Ineos Bio on future global projects, all according to
Cummings. “AMEC was an outstanding fit in all of these categories,” he said.

Originally founded over
a century ago, AMEC has been recognized by the Dow Jones Sustainability Index
as one of the world’s top five companies for sustainability in the oil
equipment and services sector. In 2009, the U.K.-based company was also added
to the United Nations register of Global Compact participants.

When completed, the
facility will produce roughly 8 MMgy of third-generation ethanol and six
megawatts of renewable energy annually from biomass ranging from yard wastes
and MSW to woody residues and vegetable wastes. “The joint venture is in
feedstock negotiations for the project with several sources,” Cummings said,
adding, “Given the feedstock flexible nature of the Ineos Bio process, we are
able to process several kinds of renewable biomass feedstock.”

The feedstock flexible
nature of the process makes the facility unique according to Cummings. Initially
vegetative waste with some MSW will be used, followed by bagasse or energy
crops in the future.

To get to that point
however, Cummings notes several factors that will affect the completion of the
facility including permitting, design changes, long-lead equipment procurement
and mobilization of manpower. The facility has already received major permits
and approvals from the state of Florida and the U.S. Government.  The Process Design Package was completed
earlier this year said Cummings, and further detailed design work has also been
completed. The major pieces of equipment have been ordered and Cummings said AMEC
is already mobilizing the manpower needed at the site to begin construction.

Located in Vero Beach,
Fla., the facility will bring 175 construction jobs and 50 full-time jobs to
the state. Construction is set to begin in the fourth quarter of 2010 with
production at the facility set for 2012.