energy.agwired.com

Just as Imperium Renewables is set to open the nation’s biggest biodiesel refinery with a 100-million-gallon-a-year plant in Washington state, there could be a contender out there that will produce three times as much annually.

This story on Inside Greentech.com says California-based SE-Energy has announced plans to build a 320-million-gallon-a-year biodiesel refinery at Chesapeake, Virginia:

To be situated on the southern branch of the Elizabeth River and operate around the clock, the Virginia Point Biodiesel facility planned by SE (“Smiling Earth”) Energy [ed.: a company with the most unusual logo we’ve seen in a long time] is expected to cost $532 million, all of which has already been financed, the company claims.

Proximity to major military bases was a main draw for locating in Chesapeake, as the company hopes to count the military among its future customers. But SE says it already has off-take agreements for its entire production.

SE Energy officials say their process doesn’t produce wastewater or any air emissions.

Groundbreaking is planned for this summer with completion in early 2008.

Biodiesel giant Imperium Renewables is on schedule to open a 100-million-gallon-a-year biodiesel refinery next month at Gray’s Harbor in Washington state… although there’s been some rumors there might be delays .

This article in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer explains the mixup seems to be a matter of when the party to celebrate the opening will be:

Imperium spokesman John Williams said the company has decided to hold its grand opening celebration in August in order to accommodate the schedules of politicians and other dignitaries. But he said the plant itself is “on course” to open in July.

Imperium is planning a big event for the ribbon cutting on the $73 million facility, which the company is calling the largest biodiesel plant in the U.S.

In fact, the article hints that they might be saving time for President Bush to attend.

A report from the Korean Energy Economics Institute (KEEI) says, as early as 2011, biodiesel will cost less than its petroleum counterpart.

This story from the English-language version of Dong-A.com says the report is titled “Prospects on the Economic Feasibility of Biodiesel and Improving the Support System.” Right now in Korea, biodiesel costs about $.87 per liter to produce… compared to light oil at about $.64 per liter. But that is about to change:

It is estimated that the production cost of biodiesel will drop to ($.73) per liter by 2011, providing greater economic feasibility than light oil – the production cost of which will be ($.77). This prospect is based on the preposition that the price of oil will continue to rise, and that the amount of biodiesel supplied will increase from the current 0.5% of light oil consumption to 5.5% gradually by 2017.

“Biodiesel will become economically feasible between 2011 and 2015,” says Bae Jeong-hwan, a researcher at KEEI. “It is necessary to maintain its exemption from transportation taxes until 2010, and then begin lifting it gradually from 2011.”

Another report by KEEI says that ethanol won’t stay economically feasible if the price of a barrell of oil drops below $50.

Iowa-based Renewable Energy Group has broken ground on what will be a 60-million-gallon-a-year biodiesel plant in Emporia, Kansas.

This story is from the Emporia Gazette:

Actual construction work will begin in about two weeks, according to Chief Executive Officer Jeff Stroburg. The company expects to have the $70 million plant up and running by September or October of 2008. Once completed, it will be capable of making 60 million gallons of biodiesel fuel a year, using soybean oil supplied by Bunge.

“You can name just about any state in the union and biodiesel from this plant will probably find its way there eventually,” Stroburg told an audience of around 60 people at the ceremony.

This is the second announcement in two weeks for REG, as company officials said last week they were starting construction of another 60 MGY plant near New Orleans.