Business
Bioethanol plant begins shut-down process
Business reporter, BBC News
Reporter, BBC Radio 5 Live
BBCVivergo, one of two UK bioethanol plants, has ceased production and will start laying off its 160 employees on Tuesday.
After weeks of talks, the government said on Friday it would not be providing financial support for the bioethanol sector, which is facing increased competition from imported US ethanol.
Vivergo, owned by Associated British Foods, said that would have meant continuing as a “heavily loss-making” business. As a result it is closing, with all staff due to be gone and the site ready for demolition by end of the year.
The government said it had decided a rescue would not provide value for taxpayers or solve the industry’s long-term problems.
Alex Snowden, Vivergo’s operations director, said the closure was “heartbreaking”.
“I’m from the local area, I live 10 minutes away from site,” he said. “It’s a huge part of my life.”
“What we’re doing effectively now is emptying the last of our brewery as we’re winding down the plant,” he told the BBC.
The plant, based near the Humber estuary, takes locally grown wheat, uses it to distil alcohol for bioethanol and then makes the residue into high protein feed pellets, primarily for dairy cattle.
The operation has been through ups and downs and required “a lot of hard work”, Mr Snowden said, but is now in very good shape, which he added makes the closure even more frustrating.
Bioethanol, can be made from waste oil or grains and is used as an additive to fuels, to reduce climate-damaging emissions. For example it is added to E5 and E10 petrol and sustainable aviation fuel.
In May the UK signed a trade deal which removed 19% tariffs on US-imported ethanol up to a quota of 1.4bn litres, roughly eqivalent to the size of the UK market.
It was one of the concessions made by the UK as part of a broader trade pact, that eased the tariffs that President Donald Trump had said he would impose on UK car and steel being imported across the Atlantic to the US.
‘Unfair competition’
Even before that trade agreement, the UK sector had complained that US imports had an unfair financial advantage as their ethanol is certified as a waste byproduct in the UK, whereas domestically-produced bioethanol is not.
UK producers have argued this leads to US rivals being able to undercut them, and would be at an even greater advantage once tariffs were removed.
Vivergo is one of two bioethanol sites in the UK which has said without support it will be forced to close.
The BBC understands that the other plant in Redcar, Teesside, which is owned by German firm Ensus, is waiting to hear whether the government will provide support to protect its CO2 production, a product widely used in industry, food production and healthcare.
Vivergo had also been planning to start capturing CO2 produced as part of the bioethanol making process, but had not yet started.
Ripple effect
Ben Hackett, Vivergo’s managing director described the government’s decision not to provide a rescue package as a “massive blow to Hull and the Humber”.
He said the government had decided the bioethanol sector was something that could be “traded away” and that it amounted to a “flagrant act of economic self-harm”.
As well as the loss of its own staff, Vivergo warned there would be a knock-on effect on suppliers and customers.
Paul Temple, a farmer situated less than 30 miles from Vivergo, has not only sold his wheat to the plant, but also purchased feed for his livestock.
“As a result of trade negotiations – making a plant effectively uneconomic… this is really frustrating,” he said.
Louise Holder, director of a local haulage firm, added the closure would have a “massive” impact on the local economy.
“People [will be] out of work,” she said. “Obviously there’s an impact then on the hospitality industry, because people aren’t going out, because they can’t afford to. It just has a rippling effect on everybody, every business.”
Andrew Symes, the chief executive of OXCCU, which makes sustainable aviation fuel, told the BBC’s Today programme that the closure would make the UK reliant on imports for CO2 and for ethanol, which he described as “risky”.
“I think that was probably what wasn’t realised when the trade deal was done,” he said.
The government said it had taken the decision “in the national interest” and that the tariff deal with the US had protected “hundreds of thousands of jobs in sectors like auto and aerospace”.
A government spokesperson said it would work to support the companies through the closure process and that it was continuing to work on proposals that would “ensure the resilience of our CO2 supply in the long-term”.
Charlotte Brumpton-Childs, GMB National Officer, said the government’s commitment to green policies should mean a commitment to green jobs.
“A clean energy industrial strategy means nothing if we cannot protects plants long enough to deliver clean energy jobs here in the UK,” she said.
Business
Reliance Industries AGM 2025 Live Updates: Mukesh Ambani Set To Address 44 Lakh RIL Shareholders Shortly
Reliance AGM 2025 Live Updates: Reliance Industries Ltd. (RIL) is set to hold its 48th Annual General Meeting (AGM) today at 2:00 pm through video conferencing (VC) and other audio-visual means (OAVM). Investors will keenly watch RIL Chairman & Managing Director Mukesh Ambani’s live speech for announcements that could shape the company’s next phase of growth across its digital, retail, and energy businesses.
The event will be livestreamed across digital platforms, including YouTube, X, Facebook, Instagram, and JioEvents. The streaming will start at 2:00 pm.
(Disclaimer: Network18 and TV18 – the companies that operate news18.com – are controlled by Independent Media Trust, of which Reliance Industries is the sole beneficiary.)
Vehicle breakdown specialist RAC has revealed stronger revenues and profits after it saw member numbers grow to 15 million.
The breakdown, insurance and maintenance firm reported that revenues grew by 8% to £411 million over the first half of 2025, putting it “on track” for another year of growth.
It said this included growth across each of its three main divisions.
The 128-year-old business said it is “confident” about its outlook for the rest of the year and for the longer term.
This came after membership numbers grew to 15 million from 14.1 million a year earlier.
RAC also reported that group earnings before tax, interest, depreciation and amortisation, grew by 12% to £152 million over the half-year.
The roadside assistant giant is owned by CVC Capital Partners, the Singaporean sovereign investment fund GIC and Silver Lake Partners.
Sky News reported in July that the firm’s owners were preparing to offload the business in a potential sale or stock market float, which could value the RAC at about £5 billion.
Dave Hobday, chief executive of the RAC, said: “2025 is set to be our 14th year of consecutive growth and I am delighted with our strong first-half performance and the continued progress we have made towards our vision to be the UK’s number one for driving services.
“Through our three complementary offerings: breakdown; insurance; and service, maintenance & repair; UK motorists are increasingly choosing us as their one-stop-shop at every stage of their driving journey.
“During the half-year period, we welcomed 500,000 new breakdown members and 10,000 motor insurance members, while our expanding team of mobile mechanics delivered more than double the number of repair and maintenance jobs.
“At the same time, our ongoing investment in AI, digital, and data accelerated performance across the board.”
Business
Vikran Engineering IPO Last Day: Issue Gets 6.9x Subscription So Far, Should You Apply? Check GMP
Last Updated:
Vikran Engineering GMP Today: Its grey market premium currently stands at 12.37%, indicating mild listing gains for investors.
Vikran Engineering IPO GMP.
Vikran Engineering IPO GMP: The initial public offering of Vikran Engineering Ltd, an infrastructure EPC company, is going to be closed today, Friday, August 29. The price of the Rs 772-crore IPO has been fixed in the range of Rs 92 to Rs 97 per share. Till 10:40 am on the final day of bidding on Friday, the issue received a 6.89x subscription, garnering bids for 38,38,61,976 shares as against the 5,57,11,341 shares on offer.
The retail and NII participation stood at 6.47x and 15.76x, respectively. The QIB category was subscribed by 0.97x.
The IPO’s grey market premium on Friday stood at 12.37%, indicating mild listing gains for investors.
Vikran Engineering IPO Key Dates
The IPO will remain open for public subscription between August 26, 2025, and August 29, 2025. The share allotment will likely be finalised on September 1, and the company is expected to be listed on both BSE and NSE on September 3.
Vikran Engineering IPO Price And Lot Size
The price of the IPO has been fixed in the range of Rs 92 to Rs 97 per share.
For investors, the minimum lot size for the IPO is 148. It means investors will have to apply for a minimum of 148 shares or in multiple thereof. So, retail investors require a minimum capital of Rs 14,356 to apply for the IPO.
Vikran Engineering IPO GMP Today
According to market observers, unlisted shares of Vikran Engineering Ltd are currently trading at Rs 109 against the upper IPO price of Rs 97. It means a grey market premium or GMP of Rs 12, which is 12.37% over its issue price, indicating a mild listing gains.
The GMP is based on market sentiments and keeps changing. ‘Grey market premium’ indicates investors’ readiness to pay more than the issue price.
Vikran Engineering IPO: Should You Apply?
Market experts are largely optimistic about the prospects of Vikran Engineering’s public issue. Giving a positive outlook, Anshul Jain, head of research at Lakshmishree Investment, said that Vikran Engineering’s strong execution track record with government and PSU clients, coupled with its experienced management team and exposure to a high-growth sector, make it well-placed for scalability.
Jain recommended a ‘Subscribe’ rating for long-term investors.
Shivani Nyati, head of wealth at Swastika Investmart, said the company is among the fastest-growing Indian EPC players, with a revenue CAGR of 32.17%. She highlighted its consistent growth in revenue and profitability, along with a strong order book of over Rs 2,442 crore as of June 30, 2025.
She said the IPO is fairly priced, and investors may look at it both for listing gains and long-term potential.
Brokerages including BP Equities, Arihant Capital Markets, Adroit Financial Services, AUM Capital, and Canara Bank Securities have also given a ‘subscribe’ call on the issue.
Vikran Engineering IPO: More Details
The IPO is a mix of fresh issue of shares of about Rs 721 crore and an offer-for-sale portion worth Rs 51 crore by the promoter.
The Mumbai-based company intends to utilise proceeds from the fresh issue to the tune of Rs 541 crore for funding working capital requirements and the rest for general corporate purposes.
Vikran Engineering provides end-to-end services from conceptualisation, design, supply, installation, testing, and commissioning on a turnkey basis.
As of June 30, 2025, the company completed 45 projects across 14 states with a total executed contract value of Rs 1,920 crore. It has 44 ongoing projects across 16 states, aggregating orders worth Rs 5,120 crore.
Vikran Engineering’s revenue from operations increased 16.53 per cent to Rs 916 crore in FY25 from Rs 786 crore in the previous financial year, and profit after tax rose 4 per cent to Rs 78 crore in FY25 from Rs 75 crore in FY24.
Pantomath Capital Advisors and Systematix Corporate Services are the book-running lead managers, while Bigshare Services is the registrar of the issue.
The company’s shares will be listed on the BSE and the NSE.
Haris is Deputy News Editor (Business) at news18.com. He writes on various issues related to personal finance, markets, economy and companies. Having over a decade of experience in financial journalism, Haris h…Read More
Haris is Deputy News Editor (Business) at news18.com. He writes on various issues related to personal finance, markets, economy and companies. Having over a decade of experience in financial journalism, Haris h… Read More
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