N.D. leaders plan trip to Denmark to study cellulosic ethanol production

A delegation of farm leaders, energy industry executives and state and local officials are slated to tour a demonstration cellulosic ethanol plant in Kalundborg, Denmark, in March.

The announcement of the trip was made by Doug Goehring, North Dakota agriculture commissioner, in a press conference Tuesday in Jamestown and is considered a step towards a large-scale cellulosic ethanol plant at the Spiritwood Energy Park.

“This is an announcement of a great step in this project,” Goehring said. “In about two weeks a delegation of all the stakeholders from around North Dakota will go to Denmark to see firsthand the operation and get an idea of the logistics of a cellulosic ethanol plant.”

The proposed plant for the Spiritwood Energy Park would produce 20 million gallons of ethanol per year using biomass for input feed. The biomass feed stock planned for the Spiritwood plant includes wheat straw and corn stalks. If constructed, it would be the largest facility of its kind in the world.

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