PRODUCTION has finally started at a new £350m biofuel plant in east Hull.
The Vivergo Fuels facility at Saltend is expected to be fully operational early in the new year.
But the first bioethanol is already being manufactured at the plant.
It marks a major milestone at the complex which has taken four years to build and commission.
When fully operational, it will be the largest producer of bioethanol in the UK, converting huge volumes of locally-grown wheat into fuel and animal feed.
Managing director Dave Richards said: "Vivergo Fuels was formed in 2007 as a biorefinery for the future.
"As a joint venture between AB Sugar, BP and DuPont, this business will help deliver about a third of the UK's forecast bioethanol demand once fully operational.
"Our business will play a vital role in the production of sustainable, UK-sourced food and fuel."
The plant is also one of the biggest of its type in Europe, capable of producing 420m litres of fuel a year once in full production mode.
It will also be the UK's largest single source supplier of animal feed, producing 500,000 tonnes each year.
Mr Richards said the refinery had been designed to process 1.1m tonnes of feed-grade wheat every year, without waste by-products.
Mr Richards said: "Vivergo's bioethanol will offer greenhouse gas savings in excess of 50 per cent over standard petrol, the equivalent of removing 180,000 cars from the road.
"The animal feed production will also provide the daily protein requirement for 340,000 dairy cows, which represents almost 20 per cent of the national dairy herd.
"As such, Vivergo Fuels represents the first major renewable energy investment in the Humber region.
"It is an investment that has created and is sustaining over 1,000 jobs regionally and nationally."
