The U.S.’s first wholly-owned canola biodiesel plant has opened near Velva, North Dakota. The ADM plant is right next to ADM’s crushing facility and will produce 85 million gallons of biodiesel when it’s fully operational.

This article from the Minot (ND) Daily News says the grand opening attracted company officials, local, state, and federal officials:

“This is an exciting time for North Dakota,” said Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D. “Our state has the potential to serve as the nation’s powerhouse. North Dakota’s vast resources can be used to reduce our nation’s dependence on foreign oil, control energy prices and grow our state’s economy. This plant in Velva is leading the way.”

The plant will use the equivalent of 600,000 acres of the state’s canola crop… a fact not lost on North Dakota’s Governor John Hoeven:

“The Northern Canola Growers (Association) will need a lot more canola, so there’s no coasting,” Hoeven said. “This is good for the economy because it’s creating jobs and it’s for the country.”

The plant is expected to do a lot to help meet the growing demand for biofuels.