ScanFuel Ghana Ltd is a private limited liability company incorporated in Ghana under the companies code, 1963 (Act 179) with objective to invest and operate large scale food and biofuel plantations on land secured on long term lease with community leaders in rural areas of Ghana. Oil Palm and Jatropha are the preferred feedstock’s which the company focuses on.
The company is a subsidiary of ScanFuel AS Norway. The founders and investors are from the Norwegian oil & gas sector. The company has raised $12m for the initial seed funding.
The company is about to invest more than $500m in Ghana in the next 10 years. By the end of 2009, the company will have invested approx $30m in its operations in Ghana. The initial investment covers:
• 50,000 acres of land planted.
• Create approx. 10,000 new jobs.
ScanFuel Ghana and University of Ghana, Legon has sign a MoU to establish a Jatropha Research Centre located just outside Accra. The Centre will develop high yielding variety to be used for replanting in Ghana. The Centre has a production capacity of 500 million seeds or seeds for approx 700,000 acres annually when fully build out.
Through local banks/financiers, Scanfuel is in a process of facilitating a $1.5m credit facility for local farmers participating in ScanFuel’s Rural Empowerment Programme 2008. ScanFuel intends to triple such facility next year and beyond. Scanfuel provide a 5 year guaranteed purchase of the farmer’s harvest.
The company has already agreed off-take of all crude jatropha oil coming from jatropha seeds and is in discussions with local companies for them to source all crude palm oil.
The biomass from both Jatropha and Oil Palm will be used as raw material for a Bio-electricity generation plant, which Scanfuel intend to deploy at plantation site. Surplus energy will be distributed on the local grid, enabling Ghana to reduce her dependency on hydro and fossil fuel based energy.
Speaker Profile
Thor Hesselberg is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of ScanFuel AS and ScanFuel Ghana Ltd. ScanFuel ventured into the clean energy field through its Ghanaian branch securing more than 1 million hectare of unutilized land with the traditional councils of chiefs. ScanFuel will develop the land over the next 15 years and will from 2020 be producing more than 40.000 barrels of crude Jatropha oil to be sold to the biodiesel industri.
Previously Mr Hesselberg has worked as Clean Energy Investor and Chief Executive Officer for 2-3 start up companies. He holds Master of Science degree from University of Växjö, the same University he also completed his Bachelor of Business Administration.
JatrophaWorld 2008 Miami Speaker
Day 1 – Tuesday, June 10
16:55 SEED GARDEN – ITS NEED AND IMPORTANCE
Overview of Presentation
A well developed and organized seed garden of less than 20 hectares provide enough proven high yield seeds for a commercial plantation of 1 million hectare.
JatrophaWorld 2008 is a showcase of all the latest trends and shifts occurring in the Jatropha value chain, bringing together on a single platform, the best expertise to discuss and analyze the present and future dynamics of Jatropha from a technological and socio-economic angle. To find more about JatrophaWorld in Miami from June 9 to 11, 2008, please visit http://www.futureenergyevents.com/jatropha/.
