Greenfield Global acquires Minnesota fuel ethanol plant
Photo courtesy of Corn Plus

Greenfield Global acquires Minnesota fuel ethanol plant

Greenfield Global Inc., Canada’s largest fuel ethanol producer, is acquiring the 182 million litre (48 million gallon) per-year Corn Plus ethanol facility in Winnebago, Minnesota, U.S.A.

The Corn Plus facility makes ethanol for the purpose of blending into gasoline and has been shuttered since September 2019.

“This ushers in a new era of North American production for Greenfield,” said Howard Field, president and CEO of Greenfield Global. “We are excited to join producers in the United States in making the world’s cleanest and most accessible biofuel. The addition of Corn Plus to our biofuels portfolio complements our strategy of being a leading producer of renewable energy solutions and enhances our ability to service low-carbon fuel markets more effectively and efficiently.

”North American fuel markets will continue to operate as an increasingly interconnected supply chain given the market challenges of Covid-19, coupled with the recent coming into force of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement(USMCA). Greenfield Global’s addition of a United States based-corn ethanol facility provides the company with a larger and more diverse geographic footprint from which to operate. Greenfield Global purchased the Corn Plus facility in a receivership process. The Company expects to produce fuel ethanol and its co-products once a startup plan is established.

“We look forward to welcoming the Corn Plus team to Greenfield, re-establishing a market for Minnesota corn growers, and working closely with the community to bring jobs back to Winnebago.” said Jean Roberge, EVP and managing director of the Greenfield Global Renewable Energy Business Unit. “We are confident that our best practices, paired with the technology adaptation experience of our combined staff, will produce Greenfield’s industry-leading, low carbon intensity biofuels from this facility.

Roberge added, “Biofuels are the key to lowering greenhouse emissions in the transportation sector. This investment in our ethanol portfolio, combined with the expansion of our biorefinery in Varennes, Quebec, will significantly increase our ability to supply renewable fuel needed to help preserve the health of our planet.”

“Greenfield’s fuel ethanol customers will benefit from this new supply of low carbon ethanol. We are excited to offer our existing customers more resilience and broader supply options to meet their increasing demands, while serving new fuel customers in the United States,” said Douglas Dias, Greenfield Global’s VP of sales and market development.

About Greenfield Global Inc.

Greenfield Global is the largest ethanol producer in Canada and owns and operates four ethanol distilleries, five specialty chemical manufacturing and packaging plants, and three next generation biofuel and renewable energy R&D centers in Canada and the United States. Founded in 1989, Greenfield continually develops more efficient and sustainable technologies and products while shrinking its own carbon footprint. Under its Pharmco and Commercial Alcohols brands, Greenfield delivers hundreds of products to thousands of Life Science, Food, Flavor, Fragrance, and Beverage customers in more than 50 countries worldwide. To learn more, visit www.greenfield.com.