Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Article distributed via e-mail from http://www.epoverviews.com.

Northern Ethanol plans 100,000,000-gpy plant for Sarnia (Ind. Report)
Northern Ethanol Inc.'s proposed $210,000,000 CDN ($223,700,000 US) ethanol plant is expected to break ground in Sarnia, Ontario in the first quarter of 2008. Construction is expected to take 18 months with the 100,000,000-gpy plant becoming operational late in 2009. Northern chose the location for its accessibility to existing infrastructure that included natural gas, electricity, water and sewage. The company anticipates serving the ethanol markets surrounding the Great Lakes including Ontario, Michigan, Ohio and New York. (Source: Biofuels Magazine, Nov. 06, '07)

Contact: Gordon Laschinger, CEO, Northern Ethanol, (416) 366-5511, info@northern-ethanol.com, www.northern-ethanol.com

Ethanol qualifies for $536,000 US funding in Illinois (Funding)
The Illinois Department of Agriculture has $536,000 US available in AgriFIRST funds for three types of grants:
-   Technical assistance grants cover up to 75% of the cost of developing a "value-added" project. The maximum grant is $25,000 US.
-   Feasibility Study grants cover up to 50% of the cost for feasibility studies, competitive assessments or consulting and productivity services. Examples include feasibility studies, the development of business and/or marketing plans or market research as it relates to the development of a new value-added product. The maximum grant is $300,000 US.
-   10% of construction costs or capital expenditures is also available under AgriFIRST. Eligible projects include purchasing land, buildings or equipment.
-   Previous projects have included feasibility assessments for ethanol production facilities. The deadline for applications is Dec. 11 at 5 p.m. (Source: Prairie Farmer, Nov. 12, '07)

Contact: Kim Janssen, AgriFIRST, 866-452-4741, kjanssen@agr.state.il.us, www.agr.state.il.us

20% rise in Soybean byproducts costs halts North Prairie Productions Biodiesel plans (Ind. Report)
North Prairie Productions' (NPP) Board of Directors has unanimously agreed to halt work on their $42,000,000 US biodiesel plant in Evansville, Wisc. due to the rising cost of soybean byproducts. Production will be halted untill 2008. Soybean oil prices have increased by 20% since Aug. '07. Editor's Note: Refer to the Aug. 09, Mar. 27, Feb. 20 and 13, '07 issues of this publication for previous details on this project. (Source: Wisconsin Ag Connection, Nov. 09 '07)

Contact: Jeff Pieterick, VP, North Prairie Productions, (877) 299-2435, jpieterick@npnrg.com , www.npnrg.com

Syngenta to test corn seed with Ethanol enzyme (New Prod. & Tech.)
Syngenta, the Anglo-Swiss seeds and crop protection group, has developed a corn seed incorporating a crucial enzyme that would eliminate one of the steps in ethanol production. The corn amylase enzyme has received US FDA approval for bulk trials after pilot projects showed it could eliminate the need for the enzyme to be added separately in making ethanol. According to Micheal Pragnell, CEO, the Syngenta expects it will take about nine months for tests to prove whether the seed will perform to expectations. The company hopes to have a product on the market for the 2009 growing season. (Source: Financial Times, Nov. 12, '07)

Contact: Jonathan Seabrook, Investor Relations, Syngenta, (202) 737-6520, www.syngenta.com

Alternate Energy Holdings acquires Freedom Energy Solutions (M&A)
Alternate Energy Holdings, Inc. (AEH) has acquired 49.1% of Freedom Energy Solutions with an option to take a controlling interest in the company. Freedom Energy Solutions and the Maryland Energy Administration have plans for an 88-acre renewable energy and environmental campus at Windy Ridge Park in Mount Airy, Md. Virginia-based AEH is an alternate energy and generating company focused on the purchase, optimization and construction of green energy sources -primarily nuclear power plants. AEH currently plans to build a 1,500-megawatt nuclear plant, an ethanol production facility and a methane gas production center that will be powered by manure from nearby dairy farms in Owyhee County, Idaho. (Source: Times- News, Nov. 12, '07)

Contact: John Wolar, President & CEO Alternate Energy Solutions, Inc. (586) 498-8840, wolar@aesmichigan.com, www.aesmichigan.com, Tom Williams, Freedom Energy Solutions, (410) 871-9020, info@freedomenergysolutions.com, www.freedomenergysolutions.com

The Price Companies' offers "Price BIOstock Services" to support emerging Bioenergy and Renewable Fuel projects (Subscriber Profile)
The developers of new bioenergy companies are finding that perfecting their emerging conversion technology process is a full-time challenge for their staff. Handling biomass feedstock logistics and convincing financiers that their investments are secure during commercial scale-up is usually beyond their focus and their core competency. That's where Price BIOstock Services (PBS) has something to offer.

Founded over 40 years ago, The Price Companies' new division is the first major supplier of woody biomass for a commercial-scale U.S. cellulosic ethanol project. On November 6th, PBS President Dick Carmical was on hand with Range Fuels President Mitch Mandich, venture capitalist Vinod Khosla, and Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue for the groundbreaking of Range Fuels, Inc.'s new 100 million gallon/yr. cellulosic ethanol biorefinery in south-central Georgia (one of six U.S. Department of Energy's cellulosic ethanol grant winners).

Price BIOstock Services is responsible for woody biomass procurement, logistics, biomass feedstock yard design and construction, feedstock preparation and yard management in support of the Range Fuels biorefinery. Drawing on its experience running similar operations for 19 paper and pulp facilities throughout the Southeastern U.S., PBS provides Range Fuels investors the confidence of having responsive and resourceful industry experts ready to go to support their start-up's needs.

It is an operations/management model that even the biggest paper and pulp mills in the country (including Weyerhaeuser, International Paper, and Rayonier) have entrusted to The Price Companies - with excellent and reliable results.

Similar start-ups can profit from the expert resources, reputation, networks, and experience they'll find at Price BIOstock Services.

Contact: Dick Carmical, President and CEO, Price BIOstock Services, 870) 367-9751, dick@pricebiostock.com, www.pricebiostock.com

Portable Biofuel analysis devise introduced (New Prod. & Tech.)
Wilks Enterprise has introduced the InfraSpec VFA-IR spectrometer, a portable mid -infrared spectrometer that gives spectral, quantitative or qualitative information for on-site biofuel analyses. The device allows chemical and pharmaceutical materials to be quickly verified at remote locations without sending them to a centralised lab. It contains a simplified software interface for non-technically trained personnel giving the user the capability to measure the blend ratio of biofuels or total glycerides on-site or at a manufacturing facility. (Source: Laboratory Talk, Nov. 12, '07)

Contact: Wilks Enterprise, (203) 855 9136, info@wilksir.com, www.wilksir.com

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