U.S. Ethanol Industry Construction Expected to Slow from Record Pace in 2007, a Feature of "Industry Today" on Industrialinfo.com

---

Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--The country's ethanol production capacity went from 5.6 billion gallons at the end of 2006 to more than 7.5 billion gallons at the end of 2007, representing the largest growth that the industry has ever experienced. The pace for new plant construction and expansion activity is expected to slow, and industry consolidation will be on the rise as producers look to acquire existing plants rather than build new capacity.

Industrial Info is tracking more than 700 active Alternative Fuels projects in North America, totaling more than $130 billion. Click on the image at right to view Active North American Alternative Fuels Industry Project Analysis Chart.

Jay Brunson, Vice President for the Alternative Fuels Group of Industrial Info, said: "Currently there are over 60 new plants under construction and another eight existing operational plants expanding. Once all the current new build and expansion activity is completed, the new total capacity for the U.S. is expected to jump to over 13 billion gallons annually."

The decrease in construction activity across the country is also a sign the industry is maturing. There is no simple answer to what 2008 will bring, but one of the key factors to getting projects moving forward is money. Projects that are fundable and have their equity in place will be the ones that get built.

Industrial Info's Ethanol Database provides a comprehensive outline of all current development activities in the emerging alternative fuels market. This database covers 124 ethanol plants in operation and 504 plants under development. It also covers 68 operational biodiesel plants and 205 biodiesel plants under development.

Join Jay Brunson and Crazy Al of "Industry Today" to find the answer to these issues and much more. CLICK HERE Monday, January 14, 2008, at 10:30 a.m. (EST) to hear the broadcast. If you miss the show, CLICK HERE to hear this or any of the over 260 previous "Industry Today" shows covering topics important to industry spending, including trends, outlooks and focus segments on specific industries.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading marketing information services company for the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy-related markets throughout the world. Celebrating its 25th anniversary, IIR provides accurate and timely intelligence featuring plant and project information databases, focused market databases, industry forecasting, key industry contacts, industry and territorial map products, direct marketing services and applications, and daily industry news.