100 Mgy Great Lakes Energy corn ethanol plant commences operation in South Dakota

In South Dakota, the 100 Mgy Glacial Lakes Energy ethanol plant commenced production this week at its Mina-area location. The plant is the fourth plant managed by Great Lakes, which will open a fifth plant near Meckling. The plant was originally proposed for Aberdeen but moved to Mina after a lawsuit was filed by local landowners.

South Dakota background

Last week, VeraSun Energy said it will launch an E30 blend at the Get-N-Go in Sioux Falls. The blend will be available for use by owners of flex-fuel vehicles. Owners of other vehicles are required by the EPA to use no higher than an E10 blend.

In Washington, Senator John Thune (R-SD) was circulating a letter amongst US Senators to gather signatures in support of the Renewable Fuel Standard. 24 Senators, led by presumptive Republican nominee John McCain, sent a letter to the EPA this week requesting a waiver of the Renewable Fuel Standard. Meanwhile, EPA deputy assistant administrator Robert Meyers told a House hearing that the EPA response would take up to three months, citing the regulatory process. The ranking Republican on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Rep. Joe Barton of Texas, said he would introduce a bill to return to the 2005 ethanol mandate.

POET signed an agreement this past spring with the City of Sioux Falls to access methane from the Sioux Falls Regional Sanitary Landfill for POET’s Chancellor ethanol plant.

Under the agreement, the methane will initially displace 10 percent of the ethanol plant’s natural gas usage, increasing to 30 percent in 2025 as additional methane is generated. According to Sioux Falls Public Works Director Mark Cotter, the project will cost $4.3 million and generate $1.8 million annually for the city.

Free Subscription to the Daily Biofuels Digest e-newsletter

Related Stories

Glacial Lakes Energy to open 100 Mgy corn ethanol plant in South Dakota

In South Dakota, the 100 Mgy Glacial Lakes Energy corn ethanol plant near Mina will commence production this week; the plant was originally proposed for Aberdeen but moved to Mina after a lawsuit was ...

Green Plains and Great Lakes discuss merger benefits

Green Plains Renewable Energy (GPRE) and the Great Lakes co-operative are set to merge under an agreement that brings together Great Lakes' corn production capacity with Green Plains' manufacturing, f...

Great Lakes Cooperative OKs merger with Green Plains Renewable Energy

In Iowa, members of the Great Lakes Cooperative approved a merger with Green Plains Renewable Energy by a vote of 718 to 174. The Cooperative, which recorded $146 million in revenues in 2007, speciali...

South Dakota corn ethanol plants face shutdowns over corn shortages from late harvest

In South Dakota, the Glacial Lakes Corn Processors ethanol plant near Aberdeen said that it has temporarily shutdown due to a shortage of corn. Company executives said that rains earlier in the year d...

Central Farmers Coop acquires former VeraSun 100 Mgy corn ethanol plant in South Dakota

In South Dakota, the Central Farmers Cooperative has acquired the former 100 Mgy VeraSun ethanol plant in Marion, and said that it will commence operation immediately at full capacity and will rename ...

100 Mgy Belle Fourche corn ethanol plant in South Dakota cancelled

In South Dakota, the developers of the proposed 100 Mgy corn ethanol plant in Belle Fourche have announced the project's cancellation. The company stated that financing collapsed after the plant faile...