EANS-News: AGRANA Beteiligungs-AG / AGRANA builds a wheat starch plant at its Pischelsdorf facility - investment volume EUR 56 m Sustainable use of synergies with existing bioethanol plant (with

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Plant Openings

Wien (euro adhoc) - Over the next two years, AGRANA Bioethanol GmbH
will be investing around EUR 56 m in building a starch factory for
the production of wheat starch and gluten at the site of its
bioethanol plant in Pischelsdorf|Lower Austria. The facility will
start operations at the end of 2013 and boost the workforce at
the Pischelsdorf site from the current level of around 80 to 120.

The plan is for the new facility to process around 250,000 tonnes of
wheat to make 107,000 tonnes of wheat starch and 23,500 tonnes of
wheat gluten as well as 55,000 tonnes of wheat bran. The wheat
starch produced at the plant will largely be employed in
technical applications (e.g. in the paper industry). Wheat
gluten is used in the baking sector. It is also used in pet food for
cats and dogs. The bran produced serves as animal feed. Through its
production of wheat starch, AGRANA, which has specialised in the
production of corn and potato starch, will be offering customers
an additional starch product and thereby rounding off its product
range in the starch segment.

The construction of the new wheat starch facility at the site of
the existing bioethanol plant will generate important synergies
given that raw material constituents unused in the production of
wheat starch and gluten can be used in the production of bioethanol
and the high quality, GMO-free, protein-rich, animal feed
Actiprot.

Positive green-house gas and energy balance of bioethanol production
Over the course of its entire lifecycle, from planting and
fertilising the crop, transport, processing until its use as a
fuel in engines, AGRANA bioethanol reduces emissions of
green-house gases compared to petrol by around 50%. As such, AGRANA
bioethanol already complies with the minimum requirements of the EU
from 2017 in terms of the reduction in green-house gas emissions
from biogenic fuels compared to fossil fuels. At 1:3, i.e. every unit
of energy used produces three energy units of output, the energy
balance of the bioethanol produced in Lower Austria is very
positive. In conjunction with the CO2 recovery plant currently
under construction in Pischelsdorf, which will be used mainly in the
production of biogenic carbonic acid for the beverages industry,
representing a classic example of CCU (carbon capturing for use), the
new wheat starch plant is an additional step in the direction
of the optimal and sustainable processing of agrarian raw
materials.

"This multi-phase processing of agricultural raw materials is an
example of how AGRANA actually puts the underlying principle of
closed-cycle economics into practice on a daily basis as far as is
possible", says Johann Marihart, CEO of AGRANA Beteiligungs-AG.

About AGRANA AGRANA is the foremost sugar company in Central and
Eastern Europe. It is the leading supplier of specialised starch
products in Europe, as well as being the largest producer of
bioethanol in Austria and Hungary. In its fruit segment, AGRANA
is the top global producer of fruit preparations for the dairy
industry and one of the leading producers of fruit juice concentrates
in Europe. In its 2009|10 business year, AGRANA recorded
revenues of approximately EUR two billion. AGRANA employs around
8,000 personnel at 52 facilities in 25 countries around the world.

According to the environmental impact assessment of its
Pischelsdorf site, AGRANA Bioethanol GmbH can process up to
620,000 tonnes of cereals (mostly wheat and corn) grown
regionally to produce up to 240,000 m³ of bioethanol and up to
190,000 tonnes of the high quality, GMO-free, protein-rich, animal
feed ActiProt.

This press release is available in German and English at
www.agrana.com.

Attachments with Announcement:
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end of announcement euro adhoc
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ots Originaltext: AGRANA Beteiligungs-AG
Im Internet recherchierbar: http://www.presseportal.de

Further inquiry note:

Investor Realtions:
Mag. (FH) Hannes Haider
Tel.: 01-21137-12905
hannes.haider@agrana.com

Public Relations:
Mag. Ulrike Middelhoff
Tel.: 01-21137-12084
ulrike.middelhoff@agrana.com

Branche: Food
ISIN: AT0000603709
WKN: 779535
Index: WBI, ATX Prime
Börsen: Berlin / Präsenzhandel
Frankfurt / Präsenzhandel
Stuttgart / Präsenzhandel
Wien / official market