Good news for Amyris investors. Last week, the company announced that its farnesene plant in Sao Paulo, Brazil has achieved production rate of 1m liters over a 45-day period. Amyris said it is on track to achieve its year-end cost targets with all of its six fermentors running at the ongoing production rate. The Brotas plant is expected to produce more farnesene this year than the company’s entire production at its former contract manufacturing operations (via Tate & Lyle’s facility in Decatur, Illinois.).
Amyris’ farnesene production at Tate & Lyle’s facility last year reportedly reached run rates of 900,000 liters per quarter and sales volume are closer to 400,000 liters per quarter. Amyris ended its production at the contract manufacturing facility since the first quarter of 2013.
Amyris said its Brotas facility located adjacent to the Paraiso sugarcane mill began commercial operations at the beginning of 2013 and had all six 200,000 liter fermentors running in July to align with commercial volume needs. The company’s farnesene has been commercially used as a blend in diesel for some of Brazil’s public transit buses as well as in the manufacture of squalene under the trademark Neossance. Amyris mentioned before that it expects to step up its full commercial production level over a three-year period.
The company also hopes to achieve its cost target for its farnesene at $4/liter or less by the end of 2013. Amyris said its unit production cost decreased considerably last month as the company put all of its 6 fermenters in operation.