U.S. industry renews interest in sugarcane

Companies in the coastal and island regions of the United States are moving forward with projects that aim to produce ethanol from sugarcane.

Brawley, Calif.-based California Ethanol & Power LLC has enlisted Fagen Inc. in Granite Falls, Minn., to act as the lead contractor for construction of a 60 MMgy sugarcane-to-ethanol plant in California’s Imperial Valley. According to David Rubenstein, chief operating officer for CE&P, Fagen is working diligently to determine construction costs for the project, which has been pre-estimated at $500 million. He said the company is looking at product offerings from Dedini S/A Indústrias de Base in Brazil for processing sugarcane and also ICM Inc. in Colwich, Kan., for producing ethanol. Construction of the plant could begin within a year and is expected to take two years, with the plant slated to go on line in 2011. The facility will be located near Imperial, Calif.

More than 37,000 acres of sugarcane will need to be planted to support the facility’s expected capacity, Rubenstein said. Currently, CE&P is growing more than 650 acres of more than 10 varieties of sugarcane to be used for seed. The company plans to plant 3,500 acres next year.

Rubenstein said the plant will produce more than just ethanol. He said the leftover plant material will be used to heat a boiler that runs generators to produce the plant’s electricity. The generators are expected to produce 50 megawatts, 15 of which will be used by the plant. The company aims to enter into a power sales agreement with San Diego Gas & Electric for the remaining power, he said.
source:ethanolproducer