Vega Biofuels, Inc. announced that construction has started at the site of its Joint Venture with Agri-Tech Producers, LLC in Allendale, SC. Vega recently announced it has entered into the Joint Venture to build and operate a pilot manufacturing plant in Allendale, SC to produce Bio-Coal, among other torrefied products. When completed in First Quarter 2015, the plant will use a patented torrefaction technology to produce the Company's green-energy Bio-Coal product from plant and wood biomass, which will then be sold to power companies around the world.

A clean and renewable alternative to traditional coal, Bio-Coal has a high energy density of up to 13,000 BTUs, and is a fuel that meets the EU's requirements and those of the Renewable Portfolio Standards and Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) in the United States. The Joint Venture, ATP-SC has leased a 15-acre site on which its operations will be located. Its sub-tenant, Statiol, SA, will also locate a pellet plant on the site, as a part of phase 1 site development, which includes Statiol's investment in shared infrastructure.

Recent pictures show the portion of ATP-SC's site on which Statiol's construction has begun. ATP-SC's facilities are to be developed in phase 2 as Statiol completes its construction. In addition, Statiol's experienced management will be assisting ATP-SC's operations, including pelletizing some of ATP-SC's Bio-coal output.