Germany’s Corden BioChem resumes production at bioethanol plant abandoned by Swiss Clariant in Romania

Corden BioChem, a German industrial biotechnology company operating as an independent company within the International Chemical Investors Group (ICIG), announced it will begin production and plans investments of tens of millions of euros at the bioethanol factory it took over in Romania last year, according to Ziarul Financiar. The EUR 140 million plant was developed in 2021-2022 but was quickly shut down by Swiss Clariant in Podari, Dolj County (southern Romania).

The new stage begins with the resumption of production, with medium and long-term development plans.

In the beginning, Corden BioChem plans to use the existing infrastructure for the production of first-generation (1G) bioethanol based on local raw materials such as molasses and starch. The estimated initial production capacity is several tens of thousands of tons per year.

Additional investments related to production diversification are estimated at several tens of millions of euros, with the potential to generate over 100 specialized jobs.

Last July, ICIG signed an agreement with Clariant to purchase the decommissioned bioethanol plant in Romania.

In December 2023, Clariant management concluded that, given continued losses, the economics of the plant in Podari could not justify Clariant to continue ramping up, which would require significant additional capital expenditure.

Clariant has invested a total of EUR 140 million in the flagship plant in Romania. The construction of the large-scale biorefinery plant was also supported by the EU with EUR 40 million as part of the Bio-Based Industries Joint Undertaking (BBI).

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