UK oil group BP plc (LON:BP), which says it has the largest operated renewables business among its oil and gas peers, increased its ethanol production by 47% last year compared to 2014.

The company's renewables activities consist of a biofuels business in Brazil and an onshore wind business in the US.

According to BP's annual report last week, its three mills in Brazil produced 795 million litres (210 million gallons) of ethanol equivalent in 2015, up from 542 million litres in 2014. The company also generated 677 GWh of power from sugar cane waste for Brazil's national grid last year.

BP, which in May 2015 offloaded its interest in Vivergo Fuels, a UK-based joint venture producing bioethanol from wheat, is also working with DuPont on the development and commercialisation of biobutanol, an advanced biofuel that could be blended with fuels in higher proportions.

The group has stakes in 16 onshore wind farms in the US, with its net capacity at the end of 2015 being 1,556 MW. Its net share of wind generation for 2015 was 4,424 GWh, down from 4,617 GWh a year ago, mainly due to less windy weather across the US.

Source: http://renewables.seenews.com/news/bp-increases-ethanol-production-47-y-y-in-2015-516314