American agribusiness Cargill and The Love’s Family of Companies are joining forces in a new joint venture, Heartwell Renewables, that will construct and operate a new biodiesel production plant in Hastings, NE, a Love’s release announced Tuesday.

Once operational, the site will be capable of producing 80 million gal/yr of renewable diesel. Cargill will supply tallow, a rendered animal fat byproduct from protein processing, as feedstock. Love’s commodity trading and logistics business Musket is responsible for the transportation and marketing of the product in the US.

“Heartwell Renewables expands the commitment from the Love’s Family of Companies to reduce carbon emissions,” said JP Fjeld-Hansen, vice president of Musket an Trillium, a Love’s-owned renewable fuels and alternative fueling solutions provider, in a statement. “When considering the environmental benefits and performance enhancements of renewable diesel, the creation of Heartwell Renewables is a long-term win for not only the companies involved, but also for consumers and the environment.”

The opening of the Hastings plant will create about 50 full-time jobs. Work on the facility is slated to commence in the next few weeks. Operations are slated to begin in the spring of 2023.

“Through this 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,” John Niemann, North American lead for protein ingredients and international at Cargill, said in the release.

91 biodiesel plants were in operation in the US during 2020, according to data posted to the website of the US Energy Information Administration (EIA). The facilities had a combined production capacity of 2,514 MMgal/yr last year.