Renewable Energy Group celebrates Minnesota bio-refinery expansion

Renewable Energy Group (REG) (NASDAQ: REGI) celebrated completion of upgrades to its 30 million gallon biodiesel refinery in southern Minnesota, with a ribbon cutting and visit by U.S. Senator Al Franken, along with state and local leaders.
REG began the USD21 million project last October to upgrade the Albert Lea bio-refinery, which enables the plant to utilize multiple raw materials such as waste animal fats and greases and inedible corn oil, in addition to the refined vegetable oils the facility was originally built to process. The project was completed in June 2013.
“We completed the upgrades at REG Albert Lea on time and on budget”, said Daniel J. Oh, Renewable Energy Group, Inc. president and CEO. “That is a testament to the hard work of our team and contractors.”
Within days of start-up, all biodiesel produced at Albert Lea met the company’s REG-9000 quality specifications, which exceed the industry’s ASTM B100 standard. Multi-feedstock biodiesel has been available at Albert Lea since June 19. The upgrade project supported between 70 and 80 construction jobs.
With the recent acquisition of the former SoyEnergy, LLC plant in nearby Mason City, Iowa, REG now has eight active biorefineries in five states, with a combined annual production capacity of more than 255 million gallons.
With these upgrades, REG Albert Lea stands ready to supply more high-quality biodiesel in Minnesota as the state prepares to increase its blending from B5 to B10. Oh said, “Minnesota is one of a growing number of states that recognize how biodiesel helps make us more energy secure and environmentally sustainable.”
Renewable Energy Group is a leading North American biodiesel producer with a nationwide distribution and logistics system. With more than 255 million gallons of owned/operated annual production capacity at biorefineries across the country, REG is a proven biodiesel partner in the distillate marketplace.
For more than a decade, REG has been a reliable supplier of biodiesel that meets or exceeds ASTM quality specifications so Americans can have cleaner burning fuels that help lessen dependence on foreign oil.
REG-9000 branded biodiesel is distributed in nearly every state in the U.S.
(August 23, 2013)