PORTLAND - Next Tuesday, Poet Biorefining-Portland will begin producing ethanol 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
It was appropriate, then, for the plant to open its doors to the public on Friday.
An estimated 3,000 members of public attended the grand opening of Poet Biorefining-Portland on Friday. With a production capacity of 65 million gallons per year, the plant represents a total investment of $105 million.
"The opening of the Poet Biorefining-Portland marks a historic milestone for the citizens of Jay County and for Indiana," said Sen. Richard Lugar, who attended opening festivities. "Biofuels offer the dual opportunity of an economic revitalization of rural America and a solution to a serious national security problem."
Ethanol is an alcohol-based fuel produced by the fermentation of corn. The opening of the Portland plant, located around 50 miles from Anderson, paints a picture of things to come for Madison County.
Last October, South Dakota-based Poet Energy (then known as Broin) announced plans to build an ethanol production facility near Alexandria. Construction began on Dec. 22, 2006, and is expected to conclude in the spring of 2008.
"To produce 65 million gallons, we need 22 million bushels of corn a year, or 80 to 100 truckloads a day," said Matt Clemme, technical manager for Poet. "We have about a six-minute turnaround time on our trucks. We get them in and out of here efficiently."
The Portland plant employs 38 to 40 people, with around 90 percent of the workforce coming from the local community. Controller Matt Tomano said most employees have been on site for around four weeks preparing the plant for startup.
"We will produce ethanol 24 hours a day, seven days a week," said Luke Lorang of Poet. "What we're creating is 200-proof alcohol, and we add 2 to 5 percent gasoline as a denaturant."
Lorang said the finished product is stored in five 730,000-gallon storage tanks. Other experts explained the fermentation, evaporation and distillation processes. Michael Green touted Poet's responsibility in regards to water use.
"This is a zero-discharge plant," Green said. "That doesn't mean that no water leaves the facility; it means that any water that comes in contact with the process - with fermentation, distillation, etc. - any 'process water' never leaves."
Randall Webster of Albany was on hand to take a tour and see the facility for himself. He said he farms about 200 acres of corn in Jay County and is interested in selling to Portland.
"I don't know if they're buying from the local guys," Webster said. "We'll sell to whoever gives us the highest price."
Poet operates 21 plants in South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Indiana and Michigan. According to The Associated Press, the opening of the Portland plant gives Poet more ethanol-production capacity than any other company.