Finland’s Chempolis in Talks for Biorefinery Plant in India

Finland’s Chempolis Ltd. is in talks with Indian sugar companies to set up a biorefinery in the South Asia nation.

The Oulu-based company, which provides technology that allows raw materials like sugar-cane pulp, bamboo and straw to be converted into biofuels, expects to finalize a deal by the second quarter of next year, the company said in an e-mailed response to questions.

A biorefinery in India would probably be based on bagasse, a pulpy waste left over after juice is extracted from sugar cane, Chempolis said. It declined to identify the sugar companies with whom it’s negotiating.

Such projects typically cost as much as 40 million euros ($52 million), it said. They produce 15,000 tons to 30,000 tons of ethanol a year and take 18 months to 24 months to build, it said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Natalie Obiko Pearson in Mumbai at npearson7@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Reed Landberg at landberg@bloomberg.net