Ethanol plant hopes start producing in 2010
WSYR-Syracuse
It has been quiet for months now, but 2010 may finally be the year the Volney ethanol plant kicks into full operation. Contractors started work Monday on a $30 million modification of the plant.
The plant has been in what they call a "preserve and protect mode" for several months, always with the intention of being fired back up again. Almost as soon as Sunoco finalized it's purchase of the plant in June, one of the top ethanol design firms in the country was brought in to attack the design flaw that kept the plant from full production.
"They've got a very solid understanding as to the deficiencies that need to be addressed, they've developed the design and they're working very closely with both the site team and the Sunoco staff and experts,” said Brian Roach, the plant’s manager.
Roach says what Sunoco brings to the operation is well beyond what the plant had before their purchase. The plan is still to pump out about 100 million gallons of ethanol a year, which would be about a quarter of what Sunoco consumes from other suppliers now.
"With Sunoco being here it's a new year, it's a new start for the facility and we look forward to getting the plant re-staffed, getting people here, the jobs put back into place and reach steady state operations,” Roach said.
The goal is to get the first ethanol flowing out of the plant again by June or July.
