Benchmark BioEnergy proposes biodiesel plant in Minnesota

In Minnesota, Benchmark BioEnergy has proposed a biodiesel production facility in Cannon Falls. The facility will primarily produce soybean meal for dairy feed, and soybean oil for biodiesel. The company said it would open its plant as soon as September 2009 subject to financing constraints.

Last month, the SoyMor Biodiesel plant in Glenville, MN shut down production, citing the high cost of soybean oil and the weak US dollar. The plant had been operating at 50 percent capacity since November.

But not all Minnesota biodiesel news is gloomy. In January, Xcel Energy pledged $150,000 to assist in funding an algae-to-biodiesel research project sponsored by the University of Minnesota and the Metropolitan Council. Researchers at the Metropolitan Council and the University of Minnesota’s Initiative for Renewable Energy and the Environment (IREE) are conducting the research. The grant is a follow-on to more than $4.5 million given to five other University of Minnesota projects from the Xcel Energy Renewable Development Fund.

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