Biofuels processor move to benefit Carson companies

A British company moved its manufacturing operations to Sparks, but companies in Carson City and Orovada may be the biggest beneficiaries.

Green Fuels Ltd. said last week it will begin manufacturing its commercial-sized biodiesel processors from a facility at 255 Freeport Blvd.

The operation in Sparks will employ three.

Greg Springer, vice president and general manager of Green Fuels America Inc., said the company's operations probably will generate 10 new jobs this year.

Most of the employment growth, he said, is expected to come at EliteEnergy Systems and Silver State Stainless, two Carson City companies that are the primary contractors for production of the components used for the biofuels processor.

Impact may be felt, too, at Orovada in Humboldt County north of Winnemucca.

Larry Beck, president of Bio-Ag Farms, hopes to raise $4 million to install one of the Green Fuels America processing units as the centerpiece of an operation that would produce biodiesel from camelina, an oilseed crop that could be grown on nearby farms.

Beck thinks he can sell the biodiesel to gold mining companies for underground equipment, while the meal that's left after the oil is extracted can be sold as livestock feed.

Springer said the company's processing systems are designed to be self-sufficient, often in remote areas.

The processors, priced at $640,000 for a unit that produces up to 5,000 gallons of biodiesel a day, are factory-built and are almost completely assembled when they are loaded into sea containers for delivery to customers' sites.

Springer said the company expects to manufacture six of the units in Northern Nevada this year. Its British parent company has installed 21 of the systems worldwide, including locations in Mexico, Great Britain, Ireland, Hong Kong and Croatia.

Graham McLean, director of sales for the British parent company, said Green Fuels Ltd. decided to establish manufacturing in Northern Nevada because of the region's attractive tax and regulatory climate.

He said U.S. manufacturing also will allow the company to use U.S. Commerce Department programs to help open more foreign markets.

Nevada Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki said the company may qualify for state economic development incentives. He said attraction of companies that manufacture green-energy equipment is one of the goals of the state government.