A demonstration plant at Gussing in Austria using Oxford Catalyst’s Fischer-Tropsch-based technology is already performing well. It was originally expected to be up and running by the end of the summer but it has already been operating for one month.
Oxford’s partner SGC Energia has been managing the plant, which has been working at full capacity turning biomass into synthetic fuel. It is producing high quality synthetic fuel with an alpha value of more than 0.9. The system is producing more than four times as much fuel as a conventional system.
The plant will undergo other trials over the next few months but the prospects of a commercial order from SGC Energia have been improved by the results so far. An order could come through by the beginning of 2011.
Once these trials have been completed, the plan is to transfer the plant to an air force base in the US to demonstrate production of synthetic jet fuel.
Net cash was £11.4m at the end of 2009 and the company has enough cash for at least another couple of years. Although, cash is still flowing out of the business it has won $10m of development grants in the past year.
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