Irish Food Processors (IFP)announced yesterday that it is to build Europe's largest animal fat biodiesel facility either in Ireland or in the UK.
The move into renewable energy by the Larry Goodman-controlled company will involve an undisclosed investment in a plant that will be capable of converting animal fat into 110 million litres of biodiesel annually.
The company is in discussion with the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources about building a plant in Ireland, which would employ 50 people.
The biodiesel business sits easily with the Goodman operations both in Ireland and Britain, where the company operates 22 facilities. Its two main rendering plants - which process the by-products of meat processing - in Ireland are in Cahir, Co Tipperary, and in Waterford city.
A company statement said that following three years of research into the best technology, the company had decided to set up a world-class facility enabling it to convert indigenous and sustainable feed stocks into biodiesel.
"The amount of the planned investment is undisclosed, although financing will be provided directly by Irish Food Processors," it said.
Its acquisition in March 2006 of Liverpool-based Sanders Products Ltd, a collector and reprocessor of Irish and British used cooking oil, would add further support to the long-term viability of this venture, the statement added.
"IFP wishes to locate Europe's largest animal fat biodiesel facility in Ireland, and eagerly awaits the publication of the department's scheme.
"Site locations have been selected in both Ireland and the United Kingdom and the final decision will be a function of regulatory certainty, access to raw materials and route to market for finished product."
Under Irish tax law, up to one million litres of biodiesel can be produced in pilot schemes with an element of tax reliefs.
In Britain, according to a company spokesman, there is a more liberal tax regime for production and there are even more tax reliefs on the continent.
Irish Food Processors is the parent company of Anglo Irish Beef Processors (AIBP) in Ireland, which has a 25 per cent share of the industry.
