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BioFuels Development International L.L.C. (BDI) broke ground March 14 in Houston for the first phase of a biodiesel facility.

Subsidiary Channel BioRefinery & Terminals L.L.C. (CB&T) also plans to immediately begin improving its terminal operations to accommodate a growing need for rail-to-water crude oil transfers, BDI officials said in a press release. CB&T expects to launch the transfer service in and around the Houston Shipping Channel in the next 60 to 90 days.

The company plans to start production in June at the biodiesel facility, with full production — at an estimated rate of 35 million gallons per year — projected to start in July.

The facility will enable CB&T "to fully leverage opportunities for feedstock that is only possible because we are located on the Houston Ship Channel," said Chief Executive Officer Ken Brown.