Vega Biofuels Readies Georgia 'Bio-Coal' Plant for Production

---

Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Biofuel start-up Vega Biofuels Incorporated (PINK:VGPR.PK) (Norcross, Georgia) is readying its new "Bio-Coal" torrefied pellet plant for production.

The plant is located near the new Cordele Intermodal Services Port in Cordele, Georgia, which offers inland port delivery services to the Port of Savannah. Manufacturing has been set up on a 15-acre site in a 90,000-square-foot building that also will act as Vega Biofuels' new headquarters. The port location is expected to save the company thousands of dollars annually in transportation costs.

The torrefaction plant will convert timber waste into thermally treated biomass powder that is then pressed into briquettes known as "bio-coal" for shipment to the end user, mostly in European markets. Existing coal-fired power plants can utilize the bio-coal without making any changes to their current infrastructure.

The company worked with engineering firm Hunt, Guillot & Associates (Ruston, Louisiana) on the construction, project management and equipment installation for the plant. Vega will start with the installation of one production line and plans to add two additional lines later this year. Ultimately, the company's goal is to have nine production lines in operation as market growth continues.

Initial completion of the estimated $10 million first production line is expected to be in early March.

Additional torrefied pellet plants are in the works in Canada, planned by Biomass Secure Power in Cowichan Lake, British Columbia, and Protocol Biomass Corporation in Marathon, Ontario.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, and eight offices outside of North America, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle™, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities.