Naturol in tech tie-up with Belgian firm

Naturol BioEnergy Limited has entered into a technology partnership with De Smet Ballestra (DSB) group of Belgium for implementing its Rs 140-crore integrated biodiesel plant in Kakinada.

As per the partnership agreement, DBS will provide biodiesel process engineering to Naturol.

"DBS is implementing over 20 biodiesel projects in Europe, North and South America and Asia. Its technology allows a maximum of flexibility by designing plants for multiple feedstocks as well as superior commercial and delivery terms resulting in optimising project capital expenditure," Naturol managing director and chief executive officer, C S Bhaskar, told mediapersons here on Thursday.

Bhaskar said that Naturol would be initially importing raw material and exporting the entire produce to Europeans as " it will take at least four more years to get the required jatropha seed locally."

The 300 tonnes per day biodiesel plant, to be commissioned by January 2007, would require 3-lakh tonnes of biodiesel seed per annum. For this, biodiesel plantations have to be raised in at least 2 lakh acres. So far, Naturol BioEnergy could motivate farmers to raise biodiesel plantations only in an extent of 10,000 acres.

Bhaskar is, however, confident that more and more farmers would take up cultivation of biodiesel plantations once they realise that it would be profitable to raise such plantations.

This apart, there are 4 million hectares of arable barren land in the state, which could be profitably utilised for raising biodiesel plantations, he said, adding that the company was looking forward to set up biodiesel plants in other places too.

DBL director and chief executive officer, Rodolphe de Meester, said the company's 120 engineers were currently working in India.