CHANCELLOR, S.D. (Feb. 7, 2017) – POET’s biorefining facility in Chancellor, South Dakota reached a production milestone of 1 billion gallons of high-quality ethanol in 2016, placing it at the vanguard of a rapidly-growing biofuels sector in the United States. The facility was also the first POET plant to hit 500 million gallons, a benchmark achieved in 2011.

“Our team in Chancellor does a fantastic job and has been very aggressive in driving efficiency and optimizing operations since plant first opened in 2003,” said POET CEO Jeff Broin. “We have expanded the plant, and with innovation and hard work the team is now producing 110 million gallons of ethanol annually at this plant, creating a highly important local market for corn and adding over $185 million to the South Dakota GDP. This is a remarkable milestone, and I congratulate all 64 of our team members at the plant on leading the charge in American biofuel production.”

POET Biorefining – Chancellor lies on a 135-acre site about 5 miles west of Lennox and approximately 20 miles southwest of Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The plant uses more than 100,000 bushels of corn per day and is equipped with cutting-edge technologies, allowing the facility to use green energy derived from solid waste and methane gas from the nearby Sioux Falls city landfill.

“We’ve more than doubled production at this plant since it first opened over a decade ago,” said Chancellor General Manager Dean Frederickson. “Our team members are proud of the role we play in the community, serving farmers from eight surrounding counties and driving growth in the state’s manufacturing and agricultural sectors. We look forward to the next billion gallons, and what it will mean for the community, drivers and U.S. energy security.”

Thanks to facilities like POET Biorefining – Chancellor, the U.S. kicked off 2017 with the highest weekly ethanol production on record – more than one million barrels per day, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

About POET

POET, one of the world’s largest ethanol producers, is a leader in biorefining through its efficient, vertically integrated approach to production. The 29-year-old company has a production capacity in excess of 1.75 billion gallons of ethanol and 9 billion pounds of high-protein animal feed annually from its network of 28 production facilities. POET, through its joint venture with DSM, also operates a commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol plant in Emmetsburg, Iowa. For more information, visit http://www.poet.com.