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FRANKFORT,
Ky. — Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer
will cut the ribbon to mark the opening of the Commonwealth
Agri-Energy ethanol production plant Thursday in Hopkinsville.
The
ceremony will take place at 2 p.m. CDT at the plant
on Pembroke Road. Tours of the facility will be available
after the ceremony.
“Commonwealth
Agri-Energy is a shining example of a value-added agricultural
enterprise,” Commissioner Farmer said. “It will provide
a growing market for corn producers throughout western
Kentucky, and the resulting increase in corn prices
will mean a brighter future for Kentucky growers.
“This
plant, and facilities like it, will help our nation
reduce its dependence on foreign sources of energy and
reduce carbon monoxide emissions from our vehicles.
The Agricultural Development Board, the Kentucky Corn
Growers Association, and the Hopkinsville Elevator Company
are to be congratulated for this visionary project.”
The
Agricultural Development Board awarded $6.5 million
in grants and $3 million in loans for construction of
the $32.8 million ethanol plant. Commissioner Farmer
is vice chairman of the board. CoBank, the Delta Regional
Authority, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's
Value-Added Grant Program also provided funding for
the project.
The
processing plant is designed to produce 20 million gallons
of fuel ethanol a year as well as 60,000 tons of dry
distiller's grains for livestock feed and 60,000 tons
of carbon dioxide for production of dry ice. Commonwealth
Agri-Energy will purchase 7 million bushels of corn
a year from nearly 3,000 farmers in a 30-county area.
Commonwealth
Agri-Energy is owned by the 2,300 members of the Hopkinsville
Elevator Company and the 650 members of the Kentucky
Corn Growers Association. The Hopkinsville Elevator
Company is the second-largest grain cooperative in the
Southeast with annual sales of $65 million.
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