The European Investment Bank said it is considering financing a multifeedstock biodiesel plant developed by Biom d. o. o. from Zagreb. The planned facility of 100,000 tonnes (30 million gallons per year) could receive EUR 38 million. The plant will be built by Austria-based BDI – BioEnergy International AG. The bank said the overall cost of the project is EUR 50 million.
In 2013, Biom and BDI agreed on a deal of EUR 20 million for Croatia’s first biodiesel plant of the kind. Animal fats and used cooking oil are planned as the basic commodity. In its 2014 year-end financial statements, BDI-BioEnergy International noted the project was delayed due to difficulties in gaining project financing and regulatory approval, Biodiesel magazine reported on its website.
The promoter prepared an environmental impact assessment (EIA) in 2013 and received the main environmental permits for the implementation of the project, EIB said. The project will be carried out inside an existing industrial port in Croatia’s south, close to a site of nature conservation. Full environmental details will be verified during the project’s due diligence, the document said. A concession contract was signed last December by Biom and the Ploče Port Authority.
The promoter has been assessed by the EIB as a private company which does not operate in the utilities sector and does not have the status of a contracting entity, thus not subject to European Union’s rules on public procurement. The details will be verified during the project’s due diligence. Before financing approval, and before loan signature, projects are under appraisal and negotiation.
