Sue Retka Schill
March 19, 2014
BY Susanne Retka Schill
Pinal Energy LLC in Maricopa, Ariz., is back online after being down for the past year and half. “We started grinding last week, distillation started up on the weekend and we’re up and running, going full steam,” reported General Manager Keith Kor.
During the extended shutdown in a time negative margins, the plant owners, Arizona Grain, kept the management team, including shift supervisors, on the payroll. “Our guys worked hard,” Kor said. Maintenance issues were dealt with, plus some changes were made. As a result, the plant is restarting at a 60 MMgy capacity, up from 50 MMgy before.
Advertisement
Though the management team was kept intact, 32 new employees were trained in over the past weeks as the team prepared for restart.
Located 45 miles south of Phoenix, Pinal Energy is sited on rail adjacent to Arizona Grain which supplies corn and distillers grains to two nearby feedlots.
Advertisement
The USDA’s Risk Management Agency is implementing multiple changes to the Camelina pilot insurance program for the 2026 and succeeding crop years. The changes will expand coverage options and provide greater flexibility for producers.
EcoCeres Inc. has signed a multi-year agreement to supply British Airways with sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). The fuel will be produced from 100% waste-based biomass feedstock, such as used cooking oil (UCO).
SAF Magazine and the Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative announced the preliminary agenda for the North American SAF Conference and Expo, being held Sept. 22-24 at the Minneapolis Convention Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Saipem has been awarded an EPC contract by Enilive for the expansion of the company’s biorefinery in Porto Marghera, near Venice. The project will boost total nameplate capacity and enable the production of SAF.
Global digital shipbuilder Incat Crowther announced on June 11 the company has been commissioned by Los Angeles operator Catalina Express to design a new low-emission, renewable diesel-powered passenger ferry.