Canada’s annual ethanol production capacity surpassed one billion litres last week when Integrated Grain Processors Co-operative officially opened its 150 million litre ethanol plant in Aylmer, Ont.
The $140 million corn-based plant has been in startup mode since October. It operates 24 hours a day and employs about 40 full-time staff, the co-operative said in a news release.
As a byproduct, the plant also produces 120,000 tonnes of dried distillers grain with solubles.
IGPC was formed by a group of southwestern Ontario corn producers for the purpose of developing an ethanol plant to add value to locally grown corn and create jobs and economic growth in the region.
It is fully owned by IGPC’s 840 farmer and community members. The Canadian Co-operative Association notes the project is not only Canada’s first co-operatively owned biofuel plant, but also the largest co-op start-up in Canadian history.
The plant will use about 15 million bushels of corn annually, representing about six percent of Ontario’s average annual corn production.
