Bucharest, November 4, 2025 – RBJ – Corden BioChem, a European leader in industrial biotechnology, bought this year the bioethanol factory in Podari, Dolj County, abandoned by the Swiss from Clariant. The German company could resume bioethanol production in less than a year.
The Competition Council has authorized the transaction through which Corden BioChem Romania S.R.L., part of the German group International Chemical Investors Group (ICIG), will take over certain assets owned by Getec Servicii Energetice S.R.L., a Romanian company that supplies steam and electricity to the factory in Podari/Dolj.
The company announced on its website that the Podari plant will become operational in 2026.
Following the transaction, Corden BioChem intends to resume bioethanol production at the plant in Dolj County and develop new products in the field of biotechnology, thus strengthening Romania’s position on the European map of sustainable production.
The competition authority concluded, following the analysis, that the transaction does not raise significant obstacles to competition on the Romanian market and that there are no serious doubts regarding its compatibility with a normal competitive environment.
“Initially, Corden BioChem intends to use the existing infrastructure for the production of first-generation (1G) bioethanol, based on local raw materials such as molasses and starch. The estimated initial production capacity is several tens of thousands of tons annually. At the same time, it will strengthen a team of local specialists, creating dozens of new jobs in the region.
“The initiative contributes to fulfilling the obligation of fuel distributors in Romania to market a minimum content of biofuels, in accordance with Government Emergency Ordinance (GEO) no. 33/2023, and contributes to reducing dependence on imported fuels”, according to the company’s announcement earlier this year.
We recall that on June 14, 2022, following an investment of 140 million euros, the Swiss producer Clariant started the production of the first quantities of cellulosic ethanol for commercial use at its new plant in Podari. The entire quantity was to be taken over by Shell, based on a multi-year contract.
The plant announced at the time that it would produce approximately 50,000 tons of second-generation biofuels from 250,000 tons of agricultural residues of local origin.
Later, the facility in Podari reported losses after recording technical problems, which meant that production never reached full capacity. As a result, the unit where 120 people worked was closed.
Six months after opening, the company announced an impairment of this asset 225 million Swiss francs, the equivalent of about 227 million euros.
Last summer, International Chemical Investors Group (ICIG) signed an agreement with Clariant to acquire the decommissioned bioethanol plant in Podari, according to an announcement by ICIG at the time. “In future, the unit will be operated by Corden BioChem, ICIG’s biotechnology subsidiary,” the German group announced at the time.
