VeraSun Energy has announced the startup of its 110 million gallon per year ethanol biorefinery located near Hartley, Iowa. The Hartley production facility marks the 13th VeraSun biorefinery in operation, increasing the company’s annual production capacity to more than 1.3 billion gallons.

VeraSun Hartley is the fourth VeraSun facility to come on-line this year, joining sister production facilities in Marion, S.D., Bloomingburg, Ohio, and Hankinson, N.D. According to the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association, the Hartley facility is the 31st operating ethanol biorefinery in the state of Iowa, expanding overall production throughout the state to almost 2.5 billion gallons annually.