Nova Biosource Fuels, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: NVBF) held its official groundbreaking ceremony today (16th April) at the site of its planned biodiesel refinery in Seneca, Illinois. On completion, the $68 million facility will provide construction and supply contracts to local businesses, as well as approximately 30 local jobs. The company is building the biodiesel refinery on the site of the former Seneca Naval Shipyard. The plant is expected to have a 60-million-gallon per year biodiesel production capacity from locally generated, low-cost feedstocks, including rendered animal fats and oils and recycled vegetable and animal-based greases. 

"I commend Nova for hiring local firms from Minooka, Streator, and LaSalle to build this facility," said Congressman Jerry Weller of Illinois. "The contractors who will build it, the employees who will run it, and the farmers who will supply it are all winners today, and so are the residents whose air will be cleaner as a result of the fuel this facility produces."

"We have made a strong commitment to Illinois and the local economy of Seneca and have been delighted to find well-qualified contractors and employees to help us meet our aggressive completion schedule," said Jody Powers, chief operating officer of Nova Biosource Fuels. "It is a real pleasure to see our vision begin to come to reality with the cooperative efforts of forward-thinking state and local government officials working shoulder to shoulder with our contractors and employees. I'm extremely proud to be associated with such a professional group whose goal is producing renewable fuels in an environmentally friendly manner with home grown resources."