Biodiesel May Replace Ethanol Plans in Florida
Plans for an ethanol plant near Tampa have been scrapped, but a biodiesel plant could take its place.
According to the St. Petersburg Times, legal problems caused Port Sutton EnviroFuels to shelve plans to build Florida’s first ethanol plant but a Texas company has stepped in to take over Port Sutton’s 22-acre lease and build a biodiesel plant instead.
GreenHunter Energy, based near Dallas, reportedly plans to invest up to $100-million in a biodiesel plant and terminal that will produce 50-million gallons a year.
U.S. EnviroFuels, one of the investors in the proposed ethanol plant, is currently in the process of developing a 20 million gallon per year ethanol plant in Highlands County, Florida using sweet sorghum as the primary feedstock. Earlier this year the company received a $7 million grant from the state of Florida for that project.