Ground was broken Tuesday on what will become Iowa’s 12th ethanol factory. Renewable Fuels Incorporated held the ceremony for its 43-million dollar investment in the Emmetsburg plant. Company Manager Norm Nicol says the facility will use a different process than most ethanol plants. No steam is used in the process, like in all other ethanol plants nationwide. This plant will “still” the alcohol out, Nicol says, “just like our grandfathers made white lightning (moonshine).” The facility is located in a warehouse formerly occupied by Skyjack Manufacturing. Concrete silos are being constructed for grain storage. Without smokestacks pumping steam into the air, Nicol says the D-N-R told him they won’t need a permit. He says the best thing about the process is they can use an existing building because they don’t have to build a steam plant. The plant will use 13-and-a-half million bushels of corn per year to produce 39-million gallons of ethanol. Officials hope to be collecting corn from area producers by year’s end with production beginning in the spring. Governor Vilsack traveled to Emmetsburg to attend the reception. He says this ethanol plant gives Iowans another opportunity to celebrate the bioeconomy of the state. Vilsack says the facility will add value to the corn produced in northwest Iowa and will likely raise the price per bushel. He also says more than a million dollars in local and state revenues will be generated from the plant, which will hire 40 to 50 employees.