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3 Plants Near Goodland to Make Ethanol, Biodiesel, More

Posted on: Wednesday, 10 May 2006, 03:03 CDT

By Phyllis Jacobs Griekspoor, The Wichita Eagle, Kan.

May 10--Goodland Energy Center Industrial Park broke ground Tuesday morning on three plants that will make electricity, ethanol and bio-diesel fuel.

Ron Pickman, chief executive of the privately owned energy complex, said contracts will be finalized over the next two weeks for the construction phase of the project.

The complex, about five miles west of Goodland, will include Goodland Energy Resources, a 20-megawatt electric generating plant fed by coal and biomass that will also generate steam to power the fuel plants.

E Caruso Ethanol will produce about 20 million gallons of ethanol a year, and Kanza Energy will make 24 million gallons of bio-diesel annually.

All three plants are expected to be operational by this time next year, and all three have room for expansion, Pickman said.

The initial three plants are on about 30 acres of the 100-acre site. Goodland Energy Center owns an additional 200 acres of land for future expansion.

Pickman said discussions are ongoing for the location of four 750-kilowatt wind turbines on or near the site in Sherman County.

"We think this project is something that will be a real asset to all of northwest Kansas over the coming years," Pickman said. "We hope it will provide a way to stem the downward flow of the economy based on the decline in agriculture over the last several years."

Northwest Kansas has suffered through an extensive drought since 1999 and continues to be extremely dry.

The area has missed the rains of the last couple of weeks that have brought more than 3 inches of rain to the Wichita area.

The electric and ethanol plants are being built substantially with parts from plants Goodland Energy Center bought from Minnesota companies.

"We've taken the best parts that we can use and added new technology to make sure they are clean, efficient, economical and resource-friendly," Pickman said.

Reach P.J. Griekspoor at (316) 268-6660 or pgriekspoor@wichitaeagle.com [mailto:pgriekspoor@wichitaeagle.com].

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Copyright (c) 2006, The Wichita Eagle, Kan.

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Source: The Wichita Eagle (Wichita, Kan.)

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