Posted October 27, 2009
A 5 MMgy biodiesel plant will be on the block in a court-ordered auction 11 a.m., Wednesday, Dec. 16 conducted by Maas Companies Inc. The auction will take place on site in Keokuk, Iowa, where Tri-City Energy LLC operated the plant for approximately 17 months.
Tri-City began producing in late 2006 after refurbishing an 85 year old wheat processing plant a block off Main Street in Keokuk.
Biodiesel Magazine reported at the time that a group of local investors planned a four-phase project starting with soy biodiesel processing at the 5 MMgy plant under construction, with plans to add crushing and a second, larger plant along river front property. The magazine's plant plant list recorded the plant as using animal fats and vegetable oils as feedstocks using process technology by Techno-Chemicals.
A foreclosure motion begun by plant creditors was temporarily put on hold in late 2008 when Tri-City Energy announced a possible cash infusion from a new investor. That effort failed however, and last week, Maas Companies listed the court-ordered auction.
The Maas auction bill says the plant at 219 South 5th St. in Keokuk produced 1 million gallons of biodiesel. The 17,000 square foot building sits on a 24,500 square foot lot and includes 11-12,000 gallon tanks.