Groundbreaking for First Biodiesel Plant in Nebraska

bio diesel logo In Beatrice on August 26, 2006, company officers joined local and state officials to break ground on a $52.5 million plant capable of producing 50 million gallons of biodiesel and 5 million gallons of glycerin a year. The plant will employ 21 people when it is fully operational. An estimated 200 workers will be used during the construction of the plant.

According to Beatrice Biodiesel officials, when the new facility is completed in September 2007, it will be the largest biodiesel plant in the United States. According to plant officials, there are currently 100 biodiesel plants in operation in the nation, but 75 percent of them produce only 5 million gallons a year. The largest plant in the United States produces about 37 million gallons of biodiesel a year. When completed in 2007, the Beatrice Biodiesel plant will be the nation’s most advanced plant, using technologies not employed in other plants. Beatrice Biodiesel is a subsidiary of U.S. Canadian Biofuels and Australian Ethanol.

Biodiesel is a domestic, renewable fuel additive used in diesel engines that can be produced from natural oils such as soybeans. Biodiesel can be used at any blend — from 1 to 100 percent — with diesel. An estimated 30 percent of the biodiesel produced in Beatrice will stay in Nebraska. The balance of the biodiesel and glycerin will be exported to other states.

You can track biodiesel production in the state at the Energy Office web site. The Energy Information Administration provides information about biodiesel performance, costs and use.
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