DGAP-News: CropEnergies expects bioethanol market to continue growing despite E10 stop

CropEnergies AG / Statement

04.04.2008 

Release of a Corporate News, transmitted by DGAP - a company of EquityStory AG.
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
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CropEnergies expects bioethanol market to continue growing despite E10 stop


Mannheim, 04. April 2008 – The CropEnergies AG, Mannheim, expects that the
bioethanol market in Germany and Europe will continue to grow despite the
announcement of German Federal Environmental Minister Sigmar Gabriel, to
defer for now the increase of the amount of bioethanol allowed in gasoline
from 5 vol.-% to 10 vol.-% (E10). The legally tied down blending quotas for
Germany are not influenced by the decision.

Dr. Lutz Guderjahn, COO of CropEnergies AG: 'Today, the advantages of
bioethanol as a fuel are more important than ever. Being more independent
of energy imports as well as the reduction of CO2-emissions are the primary
focuses. We regret that the planned increase of the bioethanol percentage
allowed does not seem possible at the moment due to possible technical
problems.'

At this time, gasoline can contain up to 5 vol.-% bioethanol. However,
higher bioethanol percentages are already possible today, for example by
using ETBE (ethyl tertiary butyl ether). Gasoline can contain up to 15% of
this octane booster, which consists of approx. 50% bioethanol. However,
CropEnergies expects that the increase of the allowed blending percentages
will take place at a later point in time within the framework of the
European legislative initiative to chance the current Fuel Quality
Directive.

CropEnergies is assured in its plans for expansion which were based on the
current fuel standard, which allows a blending of 5 vol.-% bioethanol to
gasoline. The expansion of the capacity to an annual capacity of over
700,000 m³ bioethanol in the business year 2009/10 is going as planned. In
Zeitz, the expansion from 260,000 m³ bioethanol per year to 360,000 m³
bioethanol per year will be completed in spring 2008. In Wanze, Belgium,
CropEnergies is building a plant with a capacity of up to 300.000 m³
bioethanol per year which will start running at the end of 2008. In
addition to this, production capacities in France belonging to the
Südzucker Group are to be integrated into the CropEnergies Group in 2008.
CropEnergies will thus further strengthen its position as a leading
bioethanol producer in Europe.

All production plants of CropEnergies AG will fulfil the requirement of the
EU Commission, which demands a minimum savings of greenhouse gas emissions
of 35% in the Renewable Fuels Directive.


The CropEnergies AG

The CropEnergies-Group – a member of the Südzucker-Group – is an
established and according to the production capacity a leading European
producer of bioethanol for the fuel sector.

'Crop' stands for 'creative regeneration of power'. Energy in the form of
bioethanol is produced from renewable resources – grain and sugar beets.
With subsidiaries in Germany, France, and Belgium, the CropEnergies-Group
has established itself as a bioethanol producer in a growing market in just
a few years and it operates today’s largest bioethanol plant in Europe in
Zeitz, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. CropEnergies considers itself a pioneer on
the German bioethanol market and will expand its market position in Europe.
Since September 29, 2006, CropEnergies AG (ISIN DE000A0LAUP1) has been
listed in the Prime Standard at the Frankfurt Stock Exchange.


Contact:
Tobias Erfurth
Investor Relations
Tel.: +49 (621) 71 41 90-30
Fax: +49 (621) 71 41 90-03
ir@cropenergies.de

Nadine Dejung
Public Relations / Marketing
Tel.: +49 (621) 71 41 90-65
Fax: +49 (621) 71 41 90-04
presse@cropenergies.de 


DGAP 04.04.2008 
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Language:     English
Issuer:       CropEnergies AG
              Gottlieb-Daimler-Str. 12
              68165 Mannheim
              Deutschland
Phone:        +49 (0)621-71 41 90 00
Fax:          +49 (0)621-71 41 90 04
E-mail:       info@cropenergies.de
Internet:     www.cropenergies.de
ISIN:         DE000A0LAUP1
WKN:          A0LAUP
End of News                                     DGAP News-Service
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