POET Biorefining Completes $120M Plant Expansion Project

The world’s largest maker of biofuels, POET Biorefining, held an event Wednesday to mark the completion of a $120 million expansion project project at its Marion, OH facility, a company press release announced. 

POET Biorefining’s investment increased the site’s capacity by 80 million gal/yr of biofuel 360,000 tn/yr of high-protein animal feed. The company said it will source an additional 26 million bushels of corn each year from area farmers as a result of the project. 

“This expansion will dramatically expand local farmers’ markets for grain and provide about 20 new jobs for the area,” the firm’s president and chief operating officer, Jeff Lautt, said in a statement. “We’re excited to build on our relationship with the hard-working people here in Marion.”

A statement in the company’s release by POET’s Chief Executive Officer Jeff Broin asserted that similar expansion projects would take place if the U.S. government changes current policies on use of E15, a 15% biofuel blend that can only be used from September to June.

“We can reinvigorate the rural economy with more investments like this when Americans finally get the freedom to buy E15 year-round,” said Broin. “Nationwide adoption of E15 will add 2 billion bushels of corn demand per year, bringing down worldwide surpluses and increasing commodity prices for farmers here at home.”

225 temporary jobs were created during the construction of the expansion.

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