BY TERESA SMITH, Times-Union Staff Writer
CLAYPOOL – National, state and local officials and residents joined Louis Dreyfus representatives for groundbreaking ceremonies today.
The ceremonial event marks the start of construction on the largest biodiesel plant in the world.
About 250 people gathered in the Lions Club building for a light breakfast and were bussed about a mile south of town to participate in the event.
Speakers included Gov. Mitch Daniels; Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman; Ciro Echesortu, head of global oilseeds for Louis Dreyfus Commodities; Congressman Mark Souder; Claypool native and County Commissioner Avis Gunter; and Town Council President Don Miller.
Miller said he began to pray for things to breathe life into the small town’s economy two years ago.
“I must admit I was thinking of smaller things,” Miller said of the development, which will soon produce 250,000 gallons of biodiesel a day in Claypool’s “back yard.”
Louis Dreyfus is one of the world’s largest merchandiser of grains and oilseeds.
The plant will process soybeans from neighboring fields and from neighboring states. Plans are to crush nearly 50 million bushels of soybeans per year, producing more than 1 million tons of protein-rich soybean meal and 80 million gallons of biodiesel annually.
Echesortu said the company is “very, very happy to be here.
“We came to Indiana for many reasons,” he said. “The support we’ve had from community and state authorities has been tremendous. It has built strong partnerships and those relationships are just beginning.”
Daniels credited Kip Tom with encouraging Louis Dreyfus to build in Kosciusko County. Tom, a county farmer, is a member of the state’s economic development corporation and a department of agriculture advisory board member.
“My own prayers began in Kip Tom’s tractor shed a few years ago,” Daniels said. “We weren’t maximizing our potential in agriculture. We asked how we could resume leadership, how we could realize the potential of biodiesel and ethanol. Kip never let go of this idea.”
The Indiana Economic Development Corp. is offering $95,000 in training grants, $137,500 in infrastructure assistance to the local community and up to $5.2 million in tax credits based on anticipated employment and capital investment levels.
Gunter said the event is a great day for Claypool.
Souder pointed to the energy bill and its incentives for the proliferation of new energy plants. He said the entire state will gain from the Louis Dreyfus facility.
Not only will area and regional farmers prosper from the facility, support industries will benefit from the facility, too.
Construction is to start soon, according to company officials. The work is expected to take about 18 months to complete so the plant can process the 2007 crop of soybeans in early 2008.