Biofuel developer Aurora Algae expands Australia operations
US-based algae biofuel developer Aurora Algae is to expand its Australia operations by opening new regional headquarters in West Australia’s capital of Perth and ramping-up commercial operations in the region.
The new office will be led by Australian managing director and Aurora Algae co-founder Matthew Caspari, who will oversee the construction and operation of the company’s first commercial-scale facility in the northwest region of Australia.
Aurora said it plans to more than double its number of employees by the end of the year.
The expansion closely follows Aurora’s launch of the industry’s first photosynthetic platform for the production of sustainable products.
In the third quarter of 2010, the company announced its expansion of its product portfolio to include renewable fuels as well as various food products.
‘As we searched for the ideal location of our first commercial production facility, we identified a number of key factors that were critical to delivering maximum value from our high-tech farming process,’ said Caspari.
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He added that the ‘outstanding support’ of the Australian government at all levels, along with the climate, resources and skilled labour ‘makes Perth a perfect launching point for commercialising technology’.
