EANS-News: AGRANA Beteiligungs-AG / Construction of a CO2 recovery plant at the AGRANA bioethanol facility in Pischelsdorf (with attachments)

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Wien (euro adhoc) - AGRANA and AIR LIQUIDE have today concluded a contract
entailing the construction of the latest state-of-the-art CO2 liquefaction plant
at AGRANA´s bioethanol facility in Pischelsdorf | Lower Austria. AIR LIQUIDE´s
total investment for the plant, which is scheduled to be commissioned in Q1
2012, amounts to around EUR15m.

During the production of bioethanol, some of the carbon dioxide stored in the
renewable raw materials (primarily wheat and corn) is released. The planned
plant will recover, clean and liquefy over 100,000 tonnes of the biogenic carbon
dioxide released from these renewable raw materials. This liquefied CO2 will be
available for use in various industrial applications, particularly for
carbonated beverages.

"According to a life cycle analysis performed by Joanneum Research, the
bioethanol produced at the AGRANA facility in Pischelsdorf accounts for a saving
of around 380,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions (particularly CO2) in the
Austrian transport sector.
The AIR LIQUIDE CO2 recovery plant represents an additional, sustainable
improvement in the natural CO2 cycle. The CO2 released during the fermentation
of alcohol is prepared for industrial use and replaces CO2 obtained from less
sustainable sources," says Johann Marihart, CEO of AGRANA Beteiligungs-AG.

Jean-Luc Robert, General Manager of AIR LIQUIDE Austria Core Central Europe: "We
are particularly proud to have concluded this agreement with Agrana one of the
leading companies in its domain. This new investment will recover and reuse
carbon dioxide from renewable resources while enabling us to develop our
presence in the carbon dioxide market and to strengthen our overall positions in
this growing region.

About the contractual partners
At its bioethanol plant in Pischelsdorf | Lower Austria, AGRANA Bioethanol GmbH
annually processes up to 620,000 tonnes of cereals to produce up to 240,000m3 or
190,000 tonnes of bioethanol as well as up to 190,000 tonnes of the
high-quality, GMO-free, protein-rich animal feed Actiprot.

In Austria, 5% bioethanol by volume is currently added to petrol in line with
the mandatory admixture legislation. The bioethanol is also used in the new and
environmentally sensitive fuel SuperEthanol E85, which consists of up to 85%
bioethanol, the remainder being petrol.

AGRANA is the leading sugar refiner in Central and Eastern Europe, a major
producer of customer-specific starch products in Europe, the largest producer of
bioethanol in Austria and Hungary, as well as the global leader in the
manufacture of fruit preparations for the dairy industry and an important
producer of fruit juice concentrates in Europe. AGRANA´s approximately 8,000
personnel, based at 52 facilities in 25 countries, generated revenues of around
EUR2bn in its 2009|10 financial year.

AIR LIQUIDE is the world leader in gases for industry, health and the
environment, and is present in over 75 countries with 42,300 employees.

AIR LIQUIDE AUSTRIA GmbH employs about 300 people and is a leading company on
the Austrian gas market. Present in all Austrian regions, AIR LIQUIDE supplies a
wide range of industries such as food & beverages, healthcare, chemicals,
automotive, energy, metallurgy, mining and metal fabrication.

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

Further inquiry note:
Investor Realtions:
Mag. Hannes Haider
Tel.: 01-21137-12905
[email protected]

Public Relations:
Mag. Ulrike Pichler
Tel.: 01-21137-12084
[email protected]
end of announcement euro adhoc
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Attachments with Announcement:
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http://resources.euroadhoc.com/us/grEFm9rM

Pictures with Announcement:
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http://resources.euroadhoc.com/us/0KbjaCxb

company: AGRANA Beteiligungs-AG
Donau-City-Straße 9
A-1220 Wien
phone: +43-1-21137-0
FAX: +43-1-21137-12045
mail: [email protected]
WWW: www.agrana.com
sector: Food
ISIN: AT0000603709
indexes: WBI, ATX Prime
stockmarkets: Präsenzhandel: Berlin, Frankfurt, Stuttgart, official market: Wien
language: English

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