Monday, December 28, 2009

Sudan ships first export of ethanol


KHARTOUM — Sudan, angling to become Africa's leading exporter of ethanol, has sent out its first shipment of the bio-fuel to the Netherlands, an official with the state-owned Kenana company said on Monday.

"The first cargo of five million litres of ethanol was exported yesterday. It left for Rotterdam and is intended for the European Union," said Kenana sales manager Majdi Hassan.

Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir announced last year that the company, which produces sugar and molasses, would oversee a project to lead Africa in bio-fuel production.

The price of the shipment was 3.3 million dollars (2.29 million euros), at 660 dollars a cubic metre, but the price of further shipments would vary depending on the market, Hassan said.

Kenana's plant, located in the White Nile State south of Khartoum, was built by the Brazilian ethanol supplier Dedini.

Hassan said negotiations were ongoing with European companies for the sale of Sudanese ethanol.

It can produce 65 million litres a year, with plans to increase production to 200 million litres a year by 2012, Hassan said.

Source:AFP

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