VeraSun completes North Dakota plant

HANKINSON, N.D., July 24 (UPI) -- U.S.-based VeraSun Energy Corp. has brought its 12th refinery into operation.

The renewable energy company, based in New York, announced it has brought its Hankinson, N.D., biorefinery online.

VeraSun's total production capacity of biofuel is now 1.2 billion gallons a year, and the plant will nearly double the annual production of ethanol in North Dakota, VeraSun Chief Executive Officer Don Endres said in a news release.

VeraSun began construction at the newest plant in August 2006, and it was just finished in June.

The plant has the capacity to process 39 million bushels of corn and produce about 350,000 tons of distiller grains for livestock feed, according to VeraSun.

In the announcement, Endres said the location is ideal because it is close to an interstate highway and also within a reasonable distance of some large farms.