Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Abengoa Bioenergy USA is restarting its Portales bioethanol plant today after nearly two years of inactivity, Roosevelt County Community Development Corporation Executive Director Greg Fisher said Tuesday.
The Portales plant will employ 47 people to manufacture 25 million gallons of bioethanol per year, using dryland sorghum, according to a news release from Fisher.
Fisher said he was pleased that Abengoa was able to restart the Portales facility.
“Abengoa is a global leader in clean energy, and we are grateful that they were able to restart their plant in Portales, where they can produce American-made fuel using American workers and local silage grown without much water,” he said.
Fisher said a U.S. Department of Agriculture biofuel tax credit supported by Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., was a key reason the plant was able to resume operations.
Primary markets for the fuel include large cities in California and Texas that are easily reached by railroad from Portales, according to the release.
Also, the distiller’s grain byproduct is used as a cattle feed supplement in this area.
