NEW YORK (Bloomberg) - Infinity Bio-Energy, the owner of 13 Brazilian sugar and ethanol plants, plans to raise at least $300 million in a stock sale to help finance expansion.

The company plans to file with Brazil's Securities and Exchange Commission today for a sale at the beginning of next year, CEO Sergio Thompson-Flores said in an interview in New York. Bermuda-based Infinity already has shares listed in London with a market value of $403m.

The company plans to use the proceeds of the Brazilian sale to finance investments in generating electricity and producing vegetable-based coal from fibrous sugar-cane waste, known as bagasse, said Mr. Thompson-Flores.

"We also expect to use the money for investments in plants in the Caribbean and Central America," he said. Investments next year will total $500m, Mr. Thompson-Flores said.

The company, created in March 2006, seeks to become one of the 10-biggest ethanol producers in Brazil, the world's largest per-capita consumer of the fuel and the biggest sugar producer.

The Brazil shares will be listed on the so-called New Market, a section of the Sao Paulo stock exchange with stricter disclosure rules where only companies with voting shares may trade, Mr. Thompson-Flores said.