The UK's first bioethanol plant, which will produce millions of litres of fuel from sugar each year, is to be officially opened by Environment Secretary Hilary Benn.

The £20 million plant, situated next to British Sugar's processing factory at Wissington, Norfolk, began producing bioethanol for the UK transport market in September.

British Sugar claims the use of the bioethanol in fuel will cut carbon emissions by 60% compared to ordinary petrol.

The 70 million litres, or 55,000 tonnes, of bioethanol the plant will produce each year will go towards the target set by the Government for renewables to make up 5% of fuel sold on forecourts by 2010.

In total around one million tonnes of biofuels will be needed to meet that obligation, to help cut greenhouse gas emissions from transport - which currently make up around 25% of UK emissions.

The plant also provides a use for some 110,000 tonnes of sugar which is surplus to quota allowances and can no longer be exported from the EU.

While biofuels have come under fire recently for not being as "green" as they appear due to emissions created in their manufacture, British Sugar says the combined heat and power plant used at the Wissington factory makes the bioethanol production as efficient as possible.

The heat and carbon dioxide produced by the power plant at the site is also used in the growing of some 70 million tomatoes a year in an 11-hectare greenhouse.

According to British Sugar, one unexpected consequence of the building of the plant, much of which was carried out by Indian company Praj Industries, was a shortage of coconuts in local shops after a number were used in ceremonies to bless various parts of the construction.

Construction began in January 2006 and following test runs in September, the first batch of fuel was delivered to the UK market later that month.

Source: Channel 4 News