Ace Ethanol receives funding for expansion

Milwaukee, Wis. – Ace Ethanol, LLC, a founding member of the Wisconsin Bio Industry Alliance (WBIA), is receiving $595,000 in funding to expand its operations in Stanley, Wis.

The funds, part of the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and distributed through the Wisconsin State Energy Program, will go towards the installation of heat exchange equipment to reduce waste heat and make the facility more efficient. The $850,000 project will help retain 40 jobs in Stanley.

The announcement was made Thursday by Wisconsin Department of Commerce Secretary Aaron Olver on behalf of Gov. Jim Doyle.

“This is great news for Ace Ethanol and Wisconsin’s ethanol industry as a whole,” said Joshua Morby, executive director of the WBIA. “As the industry continues to grow, reducing energy costs and improving efficiency remains a key priority for plants across the state.”

Completed in June 2002, the Ace facility was the first large-scale ethanol plant in Wisconsin, and currently produces over 40 million gallons of the fuel every year. Ace also produces wet and dry distillers grain with solubles and carbon dioxide as co-products of the ethanol production process.

“The ethanol industry has contributed over a billion dollars to our state economy, and it is vitally important that we keep this industry growing and thriving in our state,” Morby said. “Biofuel production not only creates good jobs in Wisconsin, but also creates a home-grown alternative to traditional gasoline that keeps energy dollars here in the state.”

source: ethanolproducer