Cargill to Build Biodiesel Plant in Wichita, Kansas

Cargill plans to build a state-of-the-art $90 million biodiesel plant in Wichita, Kan., the company announced. Set to open January 2019, the plant will produce 60 million gallons of biodiesel annually.

“This new facility will enable Wichita to be a competitive supplier in the biofuels market, bringing value to the suppliers and customers we work with, and connecting farmers with industrial customers by supplying quality biomass-based diesel,” said Pat Woerner, biodiesel commercial leader for Cargill’s Agricultural Supply Chain business.

Opening the facility in Wichita will strengthen Cargill’s biodiesel operations in the heart of the Midwest where it already has biodiesel plants in Iowa Falls, Iowa, and Kansas City, Mo., the company said in a Sept. 21 announcement. Cargill describes itself as “an integrated producer”—managing the entire supply chain from origination to production to delivery.

Construction of the 42,000-square-foot facility is scheduled to begin in December. The plant will employ approximately 35 full-time employees. The plant will be located next to Cargill’s oilseed processing plant and replaces an existing oil refinery managed by Cargill’s Global Edible Oil business.

Cargill’s Global Edible Oils business will transfer existing edible oils production to alternate Cargill facilities.

Cargill offers biofuels from a variety of renewable resources, including corn, soybeans, sugar cane, palm oil, and biogas. It produces ethanol and biodiesel in the U.S. and the EU, ethanol in Brazil, and biodiesel in Argentina.

Cargill provides food, agriculture, financial and industrial products and services. It has 150,000 employees in 70 countries. Cargill Agricultural Supply Chain connects agricultural producers to food, feed and industrial customers. Cargill Agricultural Supply Chain is a unit of Minneapolis-based Cargill, Inc.