Zambia’s president expected for groundbreaking at Sunbird Bioenergy

In Zambia, the country’s president was expected on Wednesday for the groundbreaking of the cassava plantation that will supply the future $150 million 120 million liter Sunbird Bioenergy Africa ethanol plant in Luapula Province.  In addition to the plantation, about 20,000 smallholder cassava farmers are expected to supply feedstock to the facility. The project overall is meant to create some 600 jobs and come online in 2017. The company recently signed an MOU with China New Energy for building the Zambian plant as well as another $50 million facility planned for Zimbabwe that will use both cassava and molasses as feedstock, also with an eye on 2017 start up.