Cargill on Thursday unveiled plans to build a 42,000-square-foot biodiesel plant in Wichita, Kansas that, upon completion, is expected to employ 35 full-time employees.
 
Construction of the $90 million facility is expected to start in December and continue throughout next year. Once its doors open in January 2019, the plant is expected to 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, in a statement.
 
Wayzata-based Cargill, known for its agricultural, animal nutrition and energy services, already operates two biodiesel plants in the Midwest: in Iowa Falls, Iowa and Kansas City, Missouri. Its new biodiesel plant will be built next to its oilseed processing plant and replace an existing oil refinery managed by Cargill’s global edible oil business.
 
“Biofuels are good for the U.S. farm economy and can bring capital investment to agriculture while boosting economic development in farm communities,” Woerner said.
 
Currently, Cargill makes biofuels from a number of renewable resources, including corn, soybeans, sugar cane, palm oil and biogas. The company produces both ethanol and biodiesel in the U.S. and Europe, as well as ethanol in Brazil and biodiesel in Argentina.
 
“We are excited to bring this new facility to our farmers and customers in Wichita,” said Warren Feather, oilseed managing director for Cargill’s agricultural supply chain business, in a statement. “At Cargill, we’re prepared to handle demand for biofuels while balancing it against the need to nourish a growing global population.”