04/15/08 Production begins for Pacific Ethanol in Burley

The corn is going in the front door, ethanol and wet distillers grain comes out the back door at the Pacific Ethanol plant in Burley. RAPHAEL "We'll be producing about 60 million gallons of ethanol a year from about 23 million bushels of corn. We're both treating the corn as both fuel and feed." Pacific Ethanol's Tim Raphael says the California based company is still bullish on ethanol production despite the high price of corn. Pacific Ethanol invested 120 million dollars into the Burley plant to produce wet distillers' grain for dairy and livestock consumption and the ethanol. Raphael says 35 people will work at the plant. He knows some residents in the Burley area are concerned about the weekly 100-car corn train's arrival at the plant and its potential to tie up traffic for long periods. RAPHAEL "We built ten thousand feet of rail in a rail loop on our property so those trains won't be sitting on the mail line at all. They'll be coming onto our property and then unloading. During the time that they are doing that they won't be interfering with traffic or anything else at all." At 60 million gallons it's the West's largest plant but not for long because several larger facilities are planned or under construction. Today's Idaho Ag News Bill Scott