Butamax Advanced Biofuels, a 50/50 joint venture between BP and DuPont, has acquired Nesika Energy and its state-of-the-art ethanol facility in Scandia, Kansas.
Butamax will now start the detailed engineering work to add bio-isobutanol capacity to the facility, while continuing to produce ethanol.
“We are pleased that Butamax has selected Kansas as the home of its first production facility,” said Kansas Secretary of Commerce Antonio Soave. “Kansas is a great state to locate for innovative, biobased businesses looking for a skilled workforce, locally grown feedstocks and bioeconomy expertise.”
Butamax Advanced Biofuels LLC was formed to develop and commercialize bio-isobutanol as a next generation renewable biofuel and chemical.
It is estimated that the bioeconomy today contributes $393 billion into the United States each year and supports 4.22 million jobs, according to the latest US Department of Agriculture estimates, many of them high-skilled, in rural areas across the United States.
Dev Sanyal, BP’s chief executive of alternative energy, said, “With the largest operated renewables business among the major oil companies, BP is committed to being a part of the global transition to a lower-carbon future. We invest in renewables where we believe we can build commercially viable businesses at scale, and this project, which brings together BP’s and DuPont’s complementary expertise, is another important step in that direction.”
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