Minnesota Alcohol Producers: Loan-Guarantee Application, Blue Earth County, Minnesota. Environmental Assessment

摘要

Minnesota Alcohol Producers (MAP) is requesting a loan guarantee from the Office of Alcohol Fuels, US Department of Energy, for a fuel ethanol plant to be built in Mankato, Minnesota. The plant will use 200 Gg (8 x 10 exp 6 bu) of corn annually as feedstock and will produce 76,000 m exp 3 /y (20 x 10 exp 6 gal/y) of anhydrous ethanol. The plant will have the capability of dehydrating wet alcohol produced elsewhere, as well. Process heat will be supplied by an adjacent 29-MWe, coal-fired, utility peaking plant, which is kept on constant standby. It is expected that the power plant can supply steam 94% of the time and a natural-gas-fired boiler will provide backup. Distillers dried grains and solubles and fuel oils will also be marketed. Carbon dioxide will be vented. The project proposed for loan guarantee and the alternatives considered by the applicant are described. The alternative of not awarding the loan guarantee is also considered. The environmental setting of the proposed project and an assessment of the impact of the proposed project on the affected environment are presented. (ERA citation 07:042771)