Following a strong directive from President Donald Trump to lift the outdated regulations stifling E15 fuel blends, POET announced that it is moving forward with full construction of a new biofuel facility in Shelbyville, Ind.

Final permit approval came the week ending Oct. 26 for the planned 80 million gal. per year facility. With full construction started, the expected completion date for the nearly $160 million facility is spring of 2020.

“This is the right project in the right location at the right time,” POET chief executive officer Jeff Broin said. “Farmers desperately need the income boost from this new market for grain, and President Trump's recent announcement of year-round E15 sales has the biofuels industry poised for new growth and prosperity. Shelbyville is leading the way for future production to meet new E15 demand. We're excited to partner yet again with Indiana to create a cleaner, healthier environment for our children and grandchildren.”

POET Biorefining-Shelbyville will be the 28th starch-based biofuel plant in POET's network and the fifth in Indiana. It will add 45 full-time jobs and $110 million in annual corn purchases for farmers in the area, primarily within a 30-mile radius.

New demand for biofuels is expected in coming years, once the Trump Administration provides full consumer access to E15 year-round, the POET announcement noted. Trump announced earlier this month that he has directed the Environmental Protection Agency  to fix outdated regulations that limit E15 availability.

E15 is a higher-octane, cleaner-burning and lower-cost blend of 15% biofuel, POET explained. Full implementation of E15 nationwide would add 7 billion gal. of biofuel demand and an additional 2 billion bu. of corn demand for farmers who have been struggling with low crop prices and declining farm income over the last five years.

“POET's project provides jobs right here in Shelby County, but its indirect effects will extend well beyond that,” said Brian Asher, executive director of the Shelby County Development Corp. “This boosts income for farmers, expands the tax base and circulates new dollars across the entire economy.”

The new facility will incorporate POET's state-of-the-art environmental controls and production processes, including features such as the proprietary Total Water Recovery, which eliminates process water discharge from the plant, and POET's patented BPX process, which lowers energy use and increases yield.

POET's Shelbyville project at a glance includes:

POET is the world's largest biofuel producer and a leader in biorefining through its vertically integrated approach to production. The 30-year-old company has a network of 27 production facilities. POET, through its joint venture with DSM, also operates a commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol plant in Emmetsburg, Iowa.