After Valero’s recent decision to get involved with Summit’s Midwest pipeline project, it is now being arranged that the project will ship carbon dioxide from eight Valero ethanol plants. These plants will then capture 3.1 million metric tons of Co2 per year.

The addition of Valero to their carbon capture pipeline, means that Summit’s project now includes fifty-seven ethanol production facilities. These facilities are all based throughout the upper Midwest. This pipeline that Summit has created aims to capture and sequester more than sixteen million metric tons of carbon dioxide every year.

The eight facilities from Valero to be selected by Summit, will be ethanol facilities located throughout Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota and South Dakota. These facilities getting involved will be extremely beneficial to Summit’s project, as it will bring another 1.1 gallons of ethanol annually and this will lead to the capture of 3.1 million metric tons of carbon dioxide annually. The added benefits of this will include, reducing the intensity of ethanol production and further open access to low-carbon fuel markets.

Founder and Executive Chairman of Summit Agricultural Group, Bruce Rastetter, commented, “I am excited to welcome one of the premier energy companies in the world into our project, bringing in a new era where agricultural innovation and energy market expansion go hand in hand,” said “By integrating Valero’s facilities into this project, we will make major strides in providing more than a billion gallons of low-carbon fuels to a marketplace hungry for the product. This project ensures the agriculture and biofuels industries will remain dynamic and competitive, meeting the needs of today while preparing for the opportunities of tomorrow.”

Summit Carbon Solutions CEO, Lee Blank, added, “I view our project, as representing a meaningful shift in agriculture to lower the carbon intensity of biofuel products. It’s about practical changes that can make a real difference: improving farm profitability, increasing land values, and offering solid support to our farm families and rural communities. This project represents a significant step forward that is grounded in the humble and hardworking spirit of agriculture.”