Abengoa Bioenergy Biomass of Kansas LLC will be hosting their Grand Opening Friday, October 17, at 9:30 a.m. The event will begin with a tour of the brand new cellulosic ethanol plant, located at 1043 Road P in Hugoton.

Speakers at the event will include U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Dr. Ernest Moniz, Kansas Governor Sam Brownback and Abengoa CEO Manuel Sanchez Ortega.

    Abengoa’s arrival was first announced in the August 9, 2007, issue of The Hugoton Hermes. At the time, the project was estimated to cost $300 million and was predicted to produce 30 million gallons of ethanol each year using cellulosic materials, such as corn stover.

    As of July 2014, there are 29 cellulosic ethanol plants in the United States, eight of which are operational, 15 proposed plants, and six plants under construction—including Hugoton’s. States currently producing cellulosic ethanol include Missouri, Louisiana, Tennessee, Virginia, Iowa, Florida, New York and Oregon. Kansas will soon join that list, using crop residue. Other biomass used includes wood sugars, energy grasses, switchgrass and corn stover, mixed hardwood, and other waste materials.