Siouxland Ethanol moves forward with $8m plant expansion

In the US, biofuel producer Siouxland Ethanol is proceeding with its planned $8 million (€7.2m) expansion of its Nebraska ethanol plant.

Expansion of the facility, located in Nebraska’s Dakota County near Sioux City, is projected to increase its production capacity by 15%, according to Sioux City Journal.

"We’re really looking forward to increased production that will help to further lower our costs of production,” board chair Pam Miller said.

Miller, who also serves as Siouxland Ethanol's director of industry and investor relations, said the expansion will increase fermentation and other capital expenditures, but will not add to the plant’s current staff of 37.

SBI General & Mechanical, with past experience in the ethanol industry, has been selected as the general contractor for the expansion.

Siouxland will begin applying for necessary permits from the state and hopes to start mobilising at the site within the next two months.

When the plant came online in 2007, it had the capacity to produce 50 million gallons of corn-based ethanol per year.

In February, Siouxland completed a push that streamlined its processes, tweaked some feedstocks, and added equipment, growing its production capacity from 50 to 65 million gallons per year.

Along with added ethanol capacity, the expansion will boost the plant’s output of corn oil and distiller's grain, which is sold as feed for livestock.

The plant currently produces about 20 million pounds of corn oil and more than 160,000 tons of distiller’s grains per year, and it also buys more than 21 million bushels of corn from local farmers.