The Infinity Bio-Energy group will invest 85 million Brazilian reais (US$ 40,6 million) in expansion and modernization of the premises at its Alcana Alcohol Distillery in the city of Nanuque, in the southeastern Brazilian state of Minas Gerais.
The group bought the factory last year and plans on increasing the output, in three years, to 84 million liters of alcohol, 1.75 million bags of sugar, and 10 megawatts of energy per hour.
The expansion should be completed in 2009. The amount of milled sugar cane (moagem de cana-de-açúcar) should increase from 545,000 tons per year to 1.5 million tons.
The forecasted revenue is of 153 million reais (US$ 73.2 million) from the third year of production onwards. The information was provided by the government of the northeastern state of Espírito Santo.
In addition to the expansion of Alcana, the Infinity group is contemplating the possibility of establishing two new plants in the region.
The group is currently increasing the production of a plant in Espírito Santo, and has established a partnership with the Itaúna Distillery S.A., with whom it is building a new unit, also in Espírito Santo, and has a project for building a plant in the state of Bahia (northeastern Brazil).
The 2006/2007 sugarcane crop in Brazil should yield 475.7 million tons, according to the latest survey by the National Supply Company (Conab). The crop should be the largest in the history of the country, yielding 10.3% more than the previous one, which stood at 431.4 million tons.
Anba