The Vivergo bioethanol plant in Hull is in danger of closing.
Help us to put pressure on the Government to save our plant and protect local jobs.
Why the plant is in danger of closing
Earlier this month a new US-UK trade deal was announced, which includes removing a tariff on US bioethanol imports into the UK - reducing it from 19% to zero - giving them a cost advantage on the British market.
What this means for Hull
The closure of Vivergo would be a significant loss to local families and businesses. Vivergo supports over 4000 jobs directly and through its supply chain, with the majority of these based in the Yorkshire and Humber regions. Many of these people live in Hull, and are critical to the functioning of the industrial clusters in the regions.
If these skilled jobs move elsewhere, the local shops, cafes and restaurants would suffer too.
What this means for the UK
Vivergo doesn’t just produce bioethanol, but also animal feed which supplies up to 20% of the UK’s dairy herd and reduces the UK’s reliance on imports. The plant is also working towards supplying CO2 which is critically important in healthcare, energy and the food and drink industry.
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Reliance on imported bioethanol would leave the UK highly vulnerable to global market fluctuations, both in terms of price and availability.
We saw this with gas prices after Russia invaded Ukraine.
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There is no way of delivering decarbonisation across the planet without fuels based on biological carbon rather than fossil. Bioethanol is a proven and readily available renewable energy source, and will be needed for decades to come in order to decarbonise transport and support the green transition – from powering our cars to fuelling ships and planes. It also has an important role as a catalyst for the development of green hydrogen and efuels.
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Bioethanol plants are a major customer for UK growers of feed-grade wheat, primarily in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. Vivergo Fuels’ production of distillery by-product animal feed in 2024 contributed to 66% of total production in the UK that year, and is a major source of protein for the UK’s dairy herd. Without this animal feed being produced domestically, UK farmers would need to import more soy protein, which carries deforestation risk.
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The British nuclear industry, the NHS, abattoirs and other areas of food production (e.g. packaging) rely on the availability of CO2.
Local production would cushion industries from global supply shortages and price fluctuations.