2007 News

VeraSun Construction in Hankinson

VeraSun Hankinson began construction August 2006 and is scheduled to meet a second 2008 start-up target. The ethanol biorefinery was designed to be among the most environmentally-friendly in the industry. This is VeraSun's eighth greenfield facility, and it will have the capacity to produce 110 million gallons of ethanol per year. The Hankinson plant, like VeraSun's other facilities, will utilize a dry-grind method of production and state-of-the-art technology to maintain industry-leading standards in production, safety and product quality.

Plant Facts

• VeraSun Hankinson will be one of the largest ethanol facilities in the U.S.
• Will have capacity to produce 110 million gallons of ethanol per year.
• Will be able to process approximately 39 million bushels of corn per year. Will have capacity to produce 350,000 tons of Dried Distillers Grains annually.
• Designed to run continuously, 24 hours-a-day, 7 days-a-week throughout the year.

 
Ground Broken for Another Ethanol Plant

By DALE HILDEBRANT, Farm & Ranch Guide
Thursday, August 30, 2007 7:26 PM

CASSELTON, N.D. - Prospects for future ethanol production in North Dakota were ramped up on Aug. 17 as ground was officially broken for the Tharaldson Ethanol plant west of Casselton, N.D.

The 100-million gallon a year plant will cost more than $200 million to build and will be funded solely by Gary Tharaldson and four other local investors. Those associated with the project claim it is the largest privately funded economic development in the history of Cass County.

Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony, Tharaldson said the new facility will benefit not only the farmers in the region, but the surrounding communities as well.

“It creates a great impact on the state,” Tharaldson said. “We can make it a local market for the corn farmers, we can make their lives better by making a better market and providing a better price. Our job, if we do it right, will be a win-win situation for everyone involved.
"I wanted to do something on a large scale and I wanted to do it in North Dakota,” Tharaldson continued. “We are proud to bring this investment to the area and to help grow the local economy while providing a clean renewable home-grown source of energy.”

Russ Newman, vice president of development for Tharaldson Ethanol, provided those in the audience with some interesting figures regarding the plant, which has been under construction since June.
For instance, part of the plant will tower 17 stories over the surrounding landscape and will contain 24,000 cubic yards of concrete, 1,000 tons of steel and over 12.5 miles of piping. The plant will use 36 million bushels of corn a year, which will require 400 square miles of corn at current yields. Once running, the plant will produce 285,000 gallons of ethanol per day.

“That's enough ethanol to fuel one million vehicles a day if they all used E-10,” Newman said. “That's a lot of impact.”

In an effort to make the plant more cost effective and to lessen the impact on water usage, the Tharaldson Ethanol plant will utilize some new technologies to accomplish these goals. First, the steam used to heat the mash will be used in other areas of the plant, rather than just letting it escape into the air. This, according to planners, should cut plant operating costs by 25 percent.

Plant officials have also reached an agreement with the city of Fargo, whereby the city will send one million gallons of treated wastewater through a 27-mile long pipeline to the ethanol plant each day. Once the water is used in the production process, about 400,000 gallons of that water will be returned by another pipeline back to the wastewater treatment plant, where it will be treated again before starting the cycle over.

Fargo normally runs 12 million gallons of water a day through its wastewater treatment plant and discharges it into the Red River. Citing those economic and environmental technologies, U.S. Rep. Earl Pomeroy, (D-N.D.) said, “We know that you are going to draw upon North Dakota's finest as you run this plant at peak operating efficiency. And the entrepreneurial spirit of the farmers in our area is going to have a role to play in making this plant work as well as it possibly can.

In addressing the audience, Fargo's Mayor Dennis Walaker, mentioned how a reliable supply of water is crucial to an ethanol plant.

“Water is the biggest component, besides the corn, in running an ethanol plant,” Walaker said. “It takes three to four gallons of water to produce one gallon of ethanol, and some of the water is used to exBut, he went on to explain, even though the challenge was large, the dedicated efforts of the Tharaldson Ethanol team and city officials, the water issue was resolved and the plant will become a reality.

“We are excited about this,” Walaker went on to say. “Our process has been, since the beginning, to make the Red River Valley important not only to ourselves, but to North Dakota”

Scheduled to start production in December of 2008, more than 600 workers will be involved in the construction of the plant. When operational, the plant will employ approximately 45 people, with an estimated annual payroll of $2.5 million.

Over 60,000 feet of railroad track will be a part of the site, which will allow delivery of corn to the plant by the Red River Valley & Western Railroad, a shortline railroad. A large portion of the ethanol and dried distillers grains will also be shipped out by rail.

Delivery of corn to the plant by truck will also be encouraged since they will be able to unload up to 700 semi-truck loads of corn a day.

The Williston Basin Pipeline will deliver natural gas to the plant from a site in western North Dakota, eastern Montana and Canada, and will also deliver 100-tanker-car units of ethanol to local and west coast markets.

N.D. State Rep. Wesley Belter, who farms near Leonard , and just 12 miles from the Tharaldson Ethanol plant, said farmers in the region are excited about the possibilities this new plant will offer. He, like many other farmers in the area, are adding drying and handling facilities to their farm for the larger corn acreage.

“This is a tremendous opportunity for our state,” Belter said. “We have a tremendous future that lies before us. “But, those of us associated with government also have a challenge before us to not get in the way of people like Gary, who are risk takers and willing to make the type of investments like he is making here; because if anything can put the brakes on productivity, it's government.”

Addressing the increasing corn acreage in the area, Tharaldson said, “The Red River Valley is producing more and more corn every year. As a result, we feel that Casselton is an excellent ethanol plant location.”
Keystone Pipeline
The Keystone Pipeline project comprises an approximate 1,980-mile, 36-inch crude oil pipeline starting at Hardisty, Alberta, providing a reliable supply of Canadian crude oil to existing refineries and markets on the U.S. Gulf Coast in Texas; helping meet the rising North American demand for energy. RRVW will be instrumental in hauling materials for the construction of the pipeline in to various locations on our system.
See this link for more details.

North Dakota's Largest Ethanol Plant to be Built Near Hankinson

BROOKINGS, SD (March 15, 2006)- North Dakota’s largest ethanol plant will be built near Hankinson, ND, contingent on zoning, permitting and tax incentives, US BioEnergy intends to construct a 100 million gallon per year (mgy) ethanol plant on this site. A plant this size will consume approximately 37 million bushels of corn and will produce 320,000 tons of distillers grain annually.Gold Energy, LLC (“Gold Energy”) has partnered with US BioEnergy Corporation (“US BioEnergy”), a South Dakota based company that has several projects underway. Terry Goerger, Gold Energy Member stated, “By partnering with US BioEnergy, we are joining a team of ethanol experts that can get our plant out of the ground quickly. Once we’re operational, there will be a local board with representatives from this area offering leadership to this plant. We like that about this Company; they have Midwest roots just as we do and they know how to get a plant up and running.”CHS, one of the nation’s leading energy grain-based food and supply company, is a 24% owner of US BioEnergy. CHS’s President and Chief Executive Officer John Johnson said, “The entry into the North Dakota renewable fuels manufacturing sector is a positive step for CHS members and customers, particularly given our long history as an energy supplier in the state.” North Dakota Governor John Hoeven stated, “We have put good programs in place and worked diligently with the Gold Energy Board and US BioEnergy to develop this plant in North Dakota. It will have a big impact on Hankinson and southeastern part of our state, both in more revenues for our farmers and good jobs in rural North Dakota. This ethanol plant will be the third one under construction, along with a biodiesel plant, and we are working on more.”Randy Schneider, Gold Energy Member said, “The community of Hankinson and the state of North Dakota have supported this project from day one and we are anxious to see everyone’s hard work pay off and get a plant out of the ground.” Gordon Ommen, CEO of US BioEnergy stated, “A plant like this will bring millions of dollars into this community as well as high paying jobs. That’s what is great about this industry; it’s revitalizing the Midwest by offering opportunities for our young people to stay close to home, it’s bringing money into our small towns and it’s benefiting our farmers by increasing the demand for their corn.”US BioEnergy currently has the following projects under way: US Bio Albert City, IA, a 110 mgy plant that will be on-line in October of 2006; US Bio Woodbury, MI, a 50 mgy plant that will be up and running in September of 2006; US Bio Janesville, MN, a 110 mgy plant in the permitting stage with construction slated to begin fall of 2006. US BioEnergy has also entered into a Letter of Intent to acquire Platte Valley Fuel Ethanol (“Platte Valley”), near Central City, NE and to be a majority owner of Val-E Ethanol near Ord, NE. This will take US BioEnergy to a 250 mgy producer by the end of 2006.

About US BioEnergy Corporation
US BioEnergy Corporation is a Brookings, SD based company that is building large, efficient biofuel plants on strategic sites, partnering with local farmers and communities to provide renewable fuels to America.

Westgate facility at Oakes Loads first shuttle train on April 24
(4/24/04)

Notes