South Bend ethanol plant begins $230 million expansion project
Verbio’s $230 million expansion of the South Bend ethanol plant aims to usher in a new era of renewable energy. The project, inaugurated with a groundbreaking ceremony, will produce renewable natural gas (RNG) alongside bioethanol, utilizing corn stillage. President and CEO Greg Northrup highlights its significance as one of only two plants nationwide leveraging ethanol to create RNG. This move towards renewable energy aligns with a growing trend of carbon footprint reduction in American industries, promising economic growth and job creation for South Bend.
Expansion is on the horizon for the South Bend ethanol plant, now owned by Verbio.
The groundbreaking ceremony took place Thursday morning, and officially kicked off the $230 million project.
Renewable natural gas is to be created in South Bend.
The $230 million expansion of the ethanol plant aims to bring more climate-friendly energy to our area.
After being bought by Verbio in May of 2023, the ethanol plant is now undergoing an exciting expansion.
This expansion will allow the production of renewable natural gas, otherwise known as RNG, which officials say will create more jobs for the company.
Bioethanol will continue to be produced alongside RNG, using a similar process to corn.
RNG will be produced by corn stillage, a co-product of ethanol production, according to Verbio.
Not only is this a first for Indiana… President and CEO of the company says the South Bend plant will be only one of two plants in the country using ethanol energy to help create RNG.
“They’re already making renewable natural gases and corn stover, which is the waste stream that we use to make the natural gas there. But these are the only two industrial scale production facilities that will be operating in the United States that operate both through ethanol,” said Greg Northrup, President, CEO.
But why is renewable energy important? Northrup says many companies in America are committed to reducing their carbon footprint and using this type of energy would help that.
“We’ve seen more and more industries industrial processes, where they want to use renewable natural gas instead of fossil desert gas in their boilers, for example, to make their products. And so, I see a great market for future demand for renewable natural gas, not just in the transportation sector, but in the industrial commercial sector as well,” said Northrup.
As for the economic benefits this expansion will bring for the city of South Bend, Northup says there’s continuous growth that will benefit employees.
But he says the future is bright for this type of renewable energy and that should be a main driver.
“This is a business that it’s just going to grow. It’s just a very exciting time for the United States. We’ve done really well with wind energy, we’ve done pretty well with solar energy, but this is the next step as it relates to moving renewable fuels and so so it makes it so exciting,” said Northrup.
