It’s all you can do to keep up with the number of new ethanol plants going up in Iowa. Lincolnway Energy, scheduled to start production May 22nd at a new plant in Nevada, is also planning a second 100-million gallon plant in Des Moines.

Lincolnway President Rick Brehm (rhymes stem) says it’s an inviting area.
He says it’s a good growing area with transportation access, so it’s where they are looking to expand LincolnWay energy. Brehm says one of the advantages of locating a plant in central Iowa is the access to several kinds of transportation.It’s at the intersection of Interstate-35 and Interstate-80 and is served by four railroads, with lots of flexibility in transportation choices.

Brehm notes it’s “also located in close proximity to a good source of our largest ingredient, corn.” One of the sites Lincolnway is considering is located on the Des Moines Agri-Mergent Technology Park and this week, the Des Moines City Council gave unanimous approval to the LincolnWay organizers as having a business that met their needs.

Brehm says there are still a host of issues that will need to be worked out before making a final decision. There are good-neighbor council meetings in the neighborhood, design review that’ll have to meet requirements of the technology park and a number of things to work through seeing if the site’s right for the plant. Brehm says although the site appears to be suitable at first glance, they are exploring other sites in the area.