Gov. Pritzker cuts ribbon on $250 million Incobrasa expansion

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity celebrated Incobrasa Industries’ new soybean-processing plant and solar array in Gilman June 22, reinforcing the Illinois' position as the nation's leading soybean-producing state and a growing hub for biofuels, food processing and advanced agricultural manufacturing.

The completed project includes a 170,000-square-foot state-of-the-art facility to meet the growing demand for its soybean-crushing services, creating 40 new full-time jobs for the region while retaining 200 positions.

“Illinois is proudly the nation’s top soybean producer, and Incobrasa is powering the modern economy with those soybeans in the heart of our state,” Pritzker said. “This expansion marks the next chapter for Incobrasa, with a transformational investment that will create new jobs and scale up production capacity for biofuel, farm feed and more—all while affirming Illinois’ role as an innovator in the agriculture industry.”

Located adjacent to Incobrasa's existing facility, the new processing plant doubles the company’s production capacity and can process nearly 100 million bushels of soybeans annually.

The facility converts soybeans into soybean meal used for animal feed and soybean oil that can be refined into biodiesel and other renewable fuel products.

In addition to the soybean-crushing plant, the company constructed a 50-acre solar array, which has the capacity to generate 5 megawatts of energy, which can be used to provide power directly to the plant or to feed the grid.

“Incobrasa’s new crush plant is the single-largest extraction process in the country,” said Kerry Fogarty, the quality-control manager at Incobrasa. “Requiring 300,000 bushels per day, it will provide a stable market for 7,000 local family farms. By producing oil for biodiesel production and soy protein for animal feed, the process will reduce greenhouse-gas emissions and lower the cost of food. It is a great win for the people of Illinois. None of this would be possible if it were not for the tireless efforts of our elected officials in Springfield and Washington, D.C. The relentless work of the Illinois Soybean Association, National Oilseed Processors Association, Clean Fuels Alliance America and Sustainable Advanced Biofuel Refiners cannot be understated. They have worked together to secure a bright future for biodiesel production in the U.S. Without this, the expansion in Gilman would never have come to fruition.”

As the nation's largest soybean producer and the fourth-largest biodiesel producer, Illinois is uniquely positioned to meet growing demand for renewable fuels, which is projected to increase by 28 percent globally between 2021 and 2026.