U.S. Ethanol Production Hits Ceiling, Corn Ethanol Boomed Out

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--According to a report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the U.S. has reached the ceiling of 14.2 billion gallons of annual ethanol production capacity, and the ethanol boom is essentially finished. There are more than 200 operational ethanol plants in the U.S. producing 14.2 billion to 14.7 billion gallons per year.

Currently, the only major ethanol plant expansion is occurring at Granite Falls Energy's plant in Granite Falls, Minnesota. The project will add 10 million gallons of ethanol production capacity. In the U.S., 15 ethanol plants are currently under construction, and all are second-generation production. The only large projects are Abengoa Bioenergy Corporation's (Chesterfield, Missouri) in 23 million-gallon-per-year plant in Hugoton, Kansas and POET's (Sioux Falls, South Dakota) "Project Liberty" in Emmetsburg, Iowa, which will produce 25 million gallons per year of cellulosic ethanol. Both projects are expected to be completed in 2013.

Aventine Renewable Energy (Pekin, Illinois) is constructing a 220 million-gallon-per-year corn-based plant in Aurora, Nebraska, which is scheduled to be completed in the spring of 2012. The plant is currently the only corn-based plant under construction. Columbia Pacific Biorefinery (Clatskanie, Oregon) is building a wheat- and corn-based plant in Clatskanie that is expected to produce 108 million gallons per year when the plant goes into operation early next year.

Harrison Ethanol (Adamsville, Ohio) has been off and on building a small corn-based plant in Cadiz, Ohio, that will produce 20 million gallons per year when completed.

The additional pilot-scale cellulosic ethanol plants under construction will barely move the needle in terms of capacity.

There are still more than 100 fuel ethanol projects in the development stages, but with no funding and the production ceiling being reached, these projects aren't likely to break ground anytime soon, leaving additional corn-based ethanol production boomed out.

Industrial Info's databases provide a comprehensive outline of all current development activities in the emerging alternative fuels market. Our North American Biodiesel Database covers 148 operational plants and 96 plants under development. Our North American Ethanol Database covers 218 plants currently in operation and 107 plants in various phases of development. Our North American Wood Fuel Pellet Database includes 66 operational plants producing greater than 25,000 tons annually, and 39 projects in progress.

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