Imperium Renewables, joined by The National Biodiesel Board, officially opened the company’s second biodiesel facility near Grays Harbor, Wash. It has an annual capacity of 100 million gallons, making it the largest biodiesel plant currently operating in the United States.

Manning Feraci, NBB vp of federal affairs, said the opening of this plant is a valuable addition to America’s biodiesel industry. “The U.S. biodiesel industry is committed to enhancing America’s energy independence by replacing foreign oil with environmentally friendly, domestically produced renewable fuels. Imperium’s plant will further our industry’s objectives in this regard, and will add valuable refining capacity to our nation’s fuel supply.”

John Plaza, founder and president of Imperium Renewables, said the Grays Harbor facility has the scale and the systems to produce fuel comparable to petroleum diesel that meets ASTM standards. “The difference is that our fuel has far less impact on our environment than fossil fuels and is made from renewable resources.”

The NBB reports that there are now 148 operating plants throughout the United States, with an average plant size currently about 9.5 million gallons per year. Among plants under construction, average capacity will be about 19 million gallons per year.

Domestic biodiesel production increased from 25 million gallons in 2004 to more than 250 million gallons in 2006, and is expected to exceed 300 million gallons in 2007.

For more information on biodiesel, visit www.biodiesel.org.