Thursday Aug 7, 2008
Oregon Company Announces Plans for Ethanol Plant That Uses Fractionation

The Argus Observer in Oregon reported that Snake River Ethanol LLC has filed documents with the state's energy department, announcing plans to build a 130-million-gallon ethanol plant at a vacant sugar beet processing plant in Nyssa. The plant would corn and sugar as feedstock, the Observer said. "The company proposes to use a mix of heat sources including coal, natural gas and biomass to fire the plant. Documents filed with the ODOE said the facility will be the first in the Northwest to employ highly efficient front-end fractionation technology that separates valuable germ and coarse bran from the corn endosperm prior to its fermentation," according to the Observer. "Germ can be sold to oil manufacturers and bran can be sold or used as a feedstock at the facility. Documents from the ODOE said the notice of intent is not the application, but only a statement that applicants will submit a more detailed application. In the notice of intent, filed in July, Snake River Ethanol officials indicated they planned to submit an application this month. The project requires a site certificate from the Oregon Energy Facility Siting Council, a statewide permit that includes a review by state agencies. Amalgamated Sugar Company officials closed the Nyssa plant in 2005, upon completion of the 2004 harvest campaign. Then company president Ralph Burton cited excess capacity in the company and also in the sugar industry as key reasons for shutting down the process portion of the plant. The company continues to produce brown sugar at the plant."