POET Breaks Ground on Environmentally-Friendly Ethanol Plant near North Manchester, Ind.

Today near North Manchester, Ind., POET held a groundbreaking ceremony for their third ethanol production facility in Indiana. Dirt work at the site will start next week with construction expected to begin later this month and last 12-14 months. The 200 acre site is approximately three miles south of North Manchester just east of Indiana 13 between County Roads 800N and 850N.

The facility in North Manchester will be one of the most environmentally friendly ethanol production facilities in operation today. It will utilize proprietary technology from POET, like the patent-pending BPX process that eliminates cooking in ethanol production and reduces energy use by as much as 15 percent in comparison with conventional plants. The plant will recycle all water used in the ethanol production process and will be outfitted with a regenerative thermal oxidizer that eliminates up to 99.9 percent of air emissions.

The $130 million facility will use 21 million bushels of corn per year to produce 65 million gallons of ethanol and 178,000 tons of premium Dakota Gold Enhanced Nutrition Distillers Products™. Ethanol marketing for the facility will be provided by POET Ethanol Products and distillers grains co-products will be marketed by POET Nutrition. Rail access is through Norfolk Southern.

Jeff Broin, CEO of POET, said, “This will be an environmentally-friendly facility for the state of Indiana that produces an environmentally-friendly fuel for America. This partnership between POET, the Wabash county area and the local investors in this plant will reap economic benefits for the local economy, more energy security for our country and a better environment for our world.”

In response to the ground breaking, U.S. Senator Richard Lugar of Indiana said “We can offset a significant portion of future demand for oil by giving American consumers a real choice when it comes to the cars they drive and the fuels that power them. My best wishes to the leadership of POET for selecting North Manchester as the site of their new ethanol plant. Your efforts to join Hoosiers in the drive to lower consumption of gasoline are greatly appreciated.”

Ken Klemme, Assistant Director of Economic Development for the Indiana State Department of Agriculture, said, “Renewable energy is one of Governor Daniels’ top priorities. An Indiana biofuels industry means more local markets for Indiana farm products, more local jobs and investment, and less need for imported petroleum. We are pleased to see a strong commitment to Indiana from an outstanding company like POET.”

About POET
POET, the largest dry mill ethanol producer in the United States, is an established leader in the biorefining industry through project development, design and construction, research and development, plant management, and marketing. Formerly known as Broin, the 20-year old company currently operates 20 production facilities in the United States with seven more in construction or under development. The company produces and markets more than one billion gallons of ethanol annually. For more information, go to http://www.poetenergy.com.