Milton Ethanol Plant Starts Grinding Corn

By Nathan Leaf, The Wisconsin State Journal

Apr. 3–United Ethanol in Milton became the sixth operational ethanol plant in the state last week when it began grinding corn Thursday.

"We should be going into distillation (into ethanol) in the next 48 hours," David Cramer, president and chief executive officer of United Ethanol, said Monday.

The $62 million plant, at 1250 Chicago St. on the city’s southeast side, has a listed capacity of 42 million gallons per year, but Cramer expects it to produce more than 50 million gallons.

"We’ve got ethanol sold all the way out to September," Cramer said. "There’s no question about demand."

The Milton plant, about 35 miles southeast of Madison, has a staff of about 30 and is operated as a limited liability company with United Cooperative of Beaver Dam as the managing partner.

United Cooperative is also working on fundraising for an Arena ethanol plant, which it will operate as a partner in River Valley Energy. Construction of the Arena plant, about 30 miles northwest of Madison, was approved in August by the Town Board. Cramer expects construction to start by September with production beginning in early 2009.

"I think we’re still at the front end of the curve (of the ethanol boom)," Cramer said. "There’s still a lot of good opportunities for good (plant) sites. We feel that our Arena site is also an excellent site."

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Copyright (c) 2007, The Wisconsin State Journal

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