The grand opening of POET’s 23rd ethanol production facility was a grand event in Alexandria, Indiana on Thursday.

POET Biorefining – Alexandria is the company’s second plant in the state of Indiana and Lieutenant Governor Becky Skillman told the crowd on hand for the official ribbon cutting that the new plant further strengthens Indiana as a national leader in the production of biofuels. “Governor Daniels and I congratulate POET on the grand opening of their second plant in our state,” said Skillman. “This plant will stimulate our agriculture industry, create new jobs to Madison County residents and provide a clean and home-grown fuel to Hoosiers.”

Indiana Corn Marketing Council executive director Chris Novak says the new plant “represents the many positives that a robust biofuels industry can bring to our state, including a new market for area corn farmers, new jobs, a cleaner environment and less dependence on foreign oil.” The plant will utilize 22 million bushels of corn from the area to produce 65 million gallons of ethanol and 178,000 tons of distillers grains per year.

According to POET officials, the plant is equipped with technology that decreases its environmental footprint, including a process that eliminates the need for heat in the cooking process of producing ethanol, reducing energy usage by 8-15 percent in comparison with conventional plants. It will also be outfitted with a regenerative thermal oxidizer that eliminates up to 99.9 percent of air emissions.

POET Biorefining – Alexandria is the second of three ethanol production facilities POET will open in Indiana. A production facility near North Manchester, Ind. will begin production in the fourth quarter of this year.

More pictures and links to stories about the grand opening can be found on Rhapsody in Green.