High Plains Bioenergy cuts ribbon at Missouri biodiesel plant

US biofuels producer High Plains Bioenergy, a subsidiary of Seaboard Foods, has officially opened its newest biodiesel production plant, HPB-St. Joe Biodiesel, located in St. Joseph, Missouri.

The plant will use vegetable oils as the primary feedstock to produce up to 28 million gpy of biodiesel, and it marks High Plains Bioenergy's second venture into the biofuels market.

“The addition of HPB-St. Joe Biodiesel further solidifies our dedication to finding alternative energy sources,” said Gary Louis, executive VP of Seaboard Foods.

“This plant will help us continue to maximise our marketing opportunities by offering a variety of product options to our current and future customer base by combining the St. Joseph plant’s production along with the production at the Guymon, Oklahoma, biodiesel plant.”

Total biodiesel production capacity at the Missouri plant, where limited production is underway, will be approximately 60 million gpy.

In addition to biodiesel production, HPB operations include biogas generation through anaerobic digestion of wastewater and compressed natural gas facilities.