Area lands biodiesel production plant

an article from the Daily Olympian.

Area lands biodiesel production plant
By RACHEL LA CORTE

The Associated Press

Grays Harbor County will be home to an enormous biodiesel production plant under an agreement announced Tuesday.

OAS_AD('300x250_1'); 
The plant, to be built on land owned by the Port of Grays Harbor between Aberdeen and Hoquiam, will produce 100 million gallons of biodiesel a year. Construction began recently on an 85-million-gallon per year plant in Velva, N.D.

Last year, national biodiesel production was 75 million gallons, according to the Missouri-based National Biodiesel Board. By the end of the year, that number is expected to double.

Tuesday’s announcement was made in Aberdeen by officials with the Port of Grays Harbor and Seattle-based Imperium Renewables.

“These are exciting times,†said John Plaza, president and founder of Imperium Renewables. “As petroleum prices increase and global warming becomes more a threat, people are paying attention.â€

Biodiesel is a generic term for any clean-burning alternative fuel made from domestic, renewable resources. Soybean oil is the primary component for biodiesels now made in the United States.

The biodiesel blend that will be used by Imperium Renewables will be refined from a mix of canola grown in Washington state, soy and other crops.

Imperium Renewables is the parent company of Seattle Biodiesel, which produces 5 million gallons of biodiesel a year out of a plant in Seattle.

The $40 million plant would create 250 to 350 jobs during its construction, and is expected to create 50 permanent jobs once it is up and running.

It was welcome news to a hard-pressed region that has had heavy unemployment after fishing and timber have declined, especially after last year’s closure of a Weyerhaeuser large-log sawmill that cost 97 people their jobs. The company’s Cosmopolis pulp mill is scheduled to close some time this year, displacing 245 workers.

Construction is expected to begin in July and could be completed by next summer.

The state Department of Agriculture said that the Seattle Biodiesel plant is the only known commercial plant up and running in the state; a facility in Sunnyside is expected to open in July, with a crushing facility and biodiesel refinery.

This year, lawmakers made Washington the second state in the country with biofuel and biodiesel mandates, to be implemented by December 2008. Budget writers also designated millions of dollars for biofuel low-interest loan programs to plant the seeds for the production, refining and infrastructure for alternative fuels.

 

well that stat that says ALL of 2005 produced 75 million gallons was an eye opener... this plant alone will more than double that. bio will definitely be increasing by huge numbers now that gas is gonna be $ 3 a gallon

 

there has been a huge discussion about it, but at this point it becomes a balancing act on whether its cheaper to continue to import oil at ever escalating costs or start developing alternatives.

the cost of gas WILL continue to rise. there is no question about that. as high as it is now, we still pay less than half of what the rest of the world is WILLING to pay. if they are willing to pay it, we will be too. (granted europe pays more because of taxes levied to support mass transit. but doesnt matter how the price is determined, the only thing that ultimately matters is that they will pay it and so will we)

now as gas gets higher, alternatives become much more attractive. being able to have more control over one's destiny is also VERY attractive. its all these reasons that makes biodiesel a desireable solution. we all know it wont be nothing but a niche product under the best of circumstances. but its still something. lets face it, a 100 million gallon plant will not provide the needs of this country for a single day. but its a start, and it all has to start somewhere.