Two Indiana firms propose to convert garbage to ethanol in Lake County

In Indiana, Lake County Solid Waste Management District Board is reviewing proposals from Genahol-Powers 1 and Indiana Ethanol Power, both of Evansville, to convert county garbage into ethanol. The J.W. Spear engineering firm, is currently analyzing the technical feasibility of each company’s proposals.

Recently, the Star-Press reported on the status of Indian’s struggling ethanol industry. Five of Indiana’s six ethanol refineries opened in 2007 and six more are scheduled to open in 2008, but a lack of infrastructure to distribute ethanol has strained plant economics.

Indiana’s ethanol woes began in the summer but accelerated in October when VeraSun Energy suspended construction of its 110 Mgy corn ethanol plant in Reynolds due to the fall in ethanol prices. The company said it would restart construction in 2008.

Problems have been exacerbated by permitting problems and difficulties with residents’ committees. A group of Starke County residents group are opposing a 27 Mgy wood waste-based ethanol plant proposed for San Pierre. The developers have applied for a zoning variance from the Board of Zoning Appeals for the $66 million project. The residents group has retained counsel from Legal Environmental Aid Foundation of Indiana.

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