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World's biggest biodiesel plant launches today
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IOWA FALLS (AP) — A massive biodiesel plant to be
built in North Iowa is just the kind of project the new energy bill
will help foster, Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, said Tuesday.
Cargill Inc. will break ground today in Iowa Falls for the world's
largest biodiesel plant, expected to churn out 37.5 million gallons
of fuel a year. It will use soybeans, all bought from area farmers,
said Bill Brady, spokesman for the Minnesota company.
Brady said the company's overall strategy includes more
participation in the biodiesel and ethanol industries, as well as
continued research and development on expanding the use of ag-based
fuels.
Included in the bill is a tax break when biodiesel is blended with
regular diesel fuel to produce agri-diesel, intended to lower the
cost of the fuel mixture at the pump and boost sales.
Iowa's biodiesel output, about 25 million gallons a year, will leap
to more than 50 million gallons when a fourth plant in Wall Lake
begins production later this year, said Iowa Soybean Association
spokeswoman Karen Anderson.
However, she said, demand has been growing faster than the supply,
and Cargill's new plant is needed. |
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