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GreenField Ethanol Varennes plant on target after flawless start-up

VARENNES, Quebec

GreenField Ethanol, Canada’s leading ethanol producer, today announced that its Varennes plant had a flawless start-up and is meeting all production targets after six months of operation.

"Since February, the Varennes plant has produced 60 million litres of fuel grade ethanol," said GreenField President and CEO Bob Gallant. "The introduction of this ethanol into the gasoline pool has reduced greenhouse gasses by 90,000 tonnes; the equivalent of taking 15,000 cars off the road."

The 120 million litre Varennes facility is the first ethanol plant in Quebec.

Since start-up, the plant has produced 40,000 tonnes of dried distillers grains and 30,000 tonnes of wet or modified distillers grains destined for animal feed markets.

"The Varennes plant has been a boon for the local economy and the Varennes community," said Varennes Mayor Michel Tremblay.

Local farmers have been given a new market for their grain, with GreenField purchasing $25 million of Quebec corn to date for the plant – that’s 150,000 tonnes. This corn was grown within 70 kilometres of the plant and purchased through Pro-Éthanol – a group of about 500 Quebec corn farmers who have personally invested in the Varennes facility.

The plant has brought millions of dollars into the local community, with 70 per cent of its $109 million in construction costs spent on goods and services provided by workers and contractors from Varennes and elsewhere in Quebec.

The federal government contributed $18 million towards the construction of the Varennes facility under the Ethanol Expansion Program.