Biofuels producer Ensus is taking its Teesside plant offline due to a poor wheat harvest and rising energy costs for the third time in the three years since its launch. Here is the history of the plant

• Opened as Europe's biggest bioethanol plant, the £300m Ensus refinery in Wilton, near Redcar, produces more than 400m litres of bioethanol – which is added to petrol – by breaking down starch in grains to sugars, which are fermented into alcohol and carbon dioxide.

• The remaining protein and grain are used to make 350,000 tonnes of feed for pigs and cattle, and 300,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide for use in soft drinks and food every year.

• Production at the plant started in early 2010, creating about 100 jobs and sustaining 1,000 posts during construction.

• It shipped its first tanker of sustainably-produced bioethanol to Shell UK, in which agreed a ten-year deal to take all the plant's output.

• In May 2011, the plant put production on hold due to adverse market conditions, blaming lower than anticipated demand for ethanol across Europe and cheap imports.

• The company retained all 100 workers on full pay, and said the plant would stop production for up to four months.

• The plant was re-opened in August 2012 after a 15-month shutdown, during which campaigners fought a battle to close an EU loophole which allowed US importers to avoid tariffs and flood the market with cheap imported enthanol.

• Liberal Democrat Redcar MP Ian Swales and North-East MEPs Fiona Hall and Stephen Hughes worked with industry leaders to re-open the plant, which supports about 2,000 jobs in the supply chain.

• In August last year, Mr Hughes called on Europe to speed up its processes to prevent firms from being penalised after the EU loophole was closed.

• Mr Hughes lobbied Brussels, wrote to trade commissioner Karel De Gucht calling for urgent action to keep the factory open, a move which helped Ensus make a complaint and led to a commission inquiry.