North Ossetia Alania, an ethnic region in the Northern Caucasus, may become Russia’s largest bioethanol producer. The regional authorities hope their project will substitute gasoline and diesel in public transport for bioethanol, Regnum.ru, a portal reporting news across Russia’s regions.

The region has been pushing for this large-scale investment project for several years now. When completed, the effort is expected to result in an estimated 300,000+ tons of bioethanol to be produced on a yearly basis, with at least 250 new local jobs created.

According to Gariy Kuchiev, the vice chairman of the Ossetia parliament, bioethanol to be used as fuel for transport will be produced employing no-waste technologies. Local grain crops, an abundant asset that the region has, will be used as raw material for production.

It is reportedly expected that the use of bioethanol will help cut municipal costs of public transport maintenance and improve the local environmental situation.