Pro-Corn Completes Ethanol Plant Expansion in Minnesota

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Researched by Industrialinfo.com (Industrial Information Resources, Incorporated; Houston, Texas). Cooperative owned Pro-Corn LLC (Preston, Minnesota) has completed a major expansion project at their fuel grade ethanol plant in Preston, Minnesota. The plant has increased capacity from a previous level of 22 million gallons per year to 40 million gallons per year and is running the facility at full capacity.

The expansion was handled by leading ethanol plant technology and constructor The Broin Companies (Sioux Falls, South Dakota) and was completed in record time. In addition to the additional ethanol, the company also increased its dried distillers grain volumes by about 55 percent. Pro-Corn can now process about 14 million bushels of corn annually into fuel grade ethanol and dried distillers grain under the company's brand name Dakota Gold. The expansion also included the installation of a new thermal oxidizer emissions control system that will help keep the plant's air emissions at permitted levels.

Pro-Corn LLC is a cooperative owned ethanol venture consisting of about 170 members that joined forces with Southeast Minnesota Ethanol Co-Op in the late 1990's. The plant began operations back in August of 1998 with a nameplate capacity of 15 million gallons per year. The new nameplate capacity of 40 million gallons per year makes this facility the largest ethanol plant in the state of Minnesota.