CropEnergies welcomes UK government support for bioethanol plant

CropEnergies has welcomed the UK Government’s decision to provide substantial financial support its  British subsidiary Ensus.
The UK Government has agreed a funding package worth around €115 millio to keep the plant in a ready to operate standby mode, ensuring long term stability of the country’s supply of biogenic CO₂, renewable ethanol for fuel applications and proteins.
The plant had suspended production in September 2025 due to economic pressures.
Ensus is the last remaining major industrial biorefinery in the UK. In addition to ethanol for fuel applications and proteins, it provides biogenic CO₂ for a wide range of key sectors, including the food and beverage industry, healthcare and hospitals, the nuclear sector, and various industrial cooling and processing applications.
Through this agreement, the UK Government reinforces the resilience of national supply chains and ensures security of supply for a wide range of downstream industries.
The increased demand for renewable ethanol in the UK fuel market, which exceeds the duty‑free import quota of 1.4 million m³ under the ‘US–UK Economic Prosperity Deal’, can likewise be met through domestic production.
With the financial support now in place, Ensus aims to bring the plant back into full operation as soon as possible. The UK Government is also considering regulatory changes which will enhance the long-term economic viability of the British sector for renewable ethanol.
In addition to a nationwide introduction of E15, the UK Government is also looking into the approval of agricultural biomass for the production of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF).
Dr Fritz Georg von Graevenitz, CEO CropEnergies, said: “Ensus is an essential part of our European production platform, and we welcome the measures taken to secure the site in the long term.
“The anticipated introduction of E15 and of sustainable aviation fuels based on agricultural biomass is not only a strong signal for better climate protection and security of supply, but also a blueprint for corresponding implementation within the European Union.”