The Love’s Family of Companies, Cargill and their affiliates have entered into a unique 50/50 joint venture — Heartwell Renewables — to produce and market up to 80 million gallons of renewable diesel annually.
As part of the joint venture, Cargill will provide feedstock in the form of tallow, a rendered animal fat co-product following protein processing. Once the diesel is produced, Musket, the commodity trading and logistics arm of the Love’s Family of Companies, will transport and market the product in the United States.
Heartwell Renewables will be the only entity of its kind to both produce and market renewable diesel all the way to the retail pump. The production process makes renewable diesel chemically identical to petroleum diesel with significant improvements in environmental performance due to its drop in carbon intensity and emissions. Renewable diesel also has a faster combustion speed, which brings more power to an engine and has been shown to lead to lower vehicle maintenance.
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“At Cargill, we believe agriculture can be part of the solution to some of the world’s toughest challenges,” said John Niemann, Cargill’s North American lead for protein ingredients and international. “Through the partnership with Love’s, both companies can leverage their unique expertise and resources to address the growing demand for biofuels while making an impact in the communities where we operate.”
Construction is scheduled to begin in the following weeks, and operations should start in the spring of 2023. The joint venture will result in the construction of a new production plant and more than 50 jobs in Hastings, Neb. Once the plant opens, it will be one of only a handful of renewable diesel plants in the United States, according to the U.S. Energy Department.
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