First Proposed Ethanol Production Facility Construction
We have purchased approximately 150 acres of real property
located near Manchester, Iowa, on which to build the Manchester facility.
This property has the following characteristics:
Property Location:
Adjacent to Manchester, Iowa, midway
between Waterloo and Dubuque, Iowa.
Property Size:
Approximately 150 acres.
Purchase Price:
$954,000.
Ingress/Egress:
Easy access to Iowa State Highway 20.
Market Availability:
Highway access for trucking ethanol and DDGS; situated
in Northeast Iowa with close proximity to feed markets for Wet Distillers
Grain with Soluables (WDGS).
Power Supply:
Electricity supply is ample for the proposed production
facility and there are two nearby natural gas pipelines.
Water Supply:
Well water is available, with back-up water supply available
from the City of Manchester.
Sewer:
Available, if needed, from the City of Manchester.
Corn Availability:
Our commissioned project feasibility study indicates
that there are ample corn supplies in close proximity to the Manchester
facility, as proposed.
Annexation:
In March 2007, this property was annexed by the City of
Manchester. As a result of the completion of this annexation, approximately
$17,000,000 of Iowa state and local tax credits have been awarded to
us.
Local Government:
We have entered into a Development
Agreement with the City of Manchester whereby we have been granted tax
abatements and infrastructure improvements in and around the Manchester
facility site. Specifically, the City of Manchester has agreed to provide
the Manchester facility with sewer service to the facility site, roadway
improvements in and around the Manchester facility site and a 10-year
property tax abatement, a total incentive package in excess of $6.6
million. In addition, the Iowa Department of Economic Development has
awarded a sales and use tax credit in an amount in excess of $10.4 million
for High Quality Job Creation.
We require approximately $250,000,000 in financing, either debt, equity
or a combination thereof, to construct the Manchester facility. We cannot
assure you that we will be able to construct the Manchester facility,
as proposed, as we have not obtained any commitment for any such funding.
Should we obtain needed financing, the Manchester facility is expected
to have the following characteristics:
Annual Ethanol Production Capacity:
Design capacity of
100 million gallons per year, with an anticipated annual ethanol production
rate of 124 million gallons.
Ownership: 100%.
Production Process: Dry Milling.
Primary Energy Source: Natural Gas.
Estimated DDGS Production (Dry) per Year: 381,000 tons.
Estimated Corn Processed per Year: 42.4 million bushels.
The Manchester facility is to be the first ethanol
production facility that is part of our five-plant project development
agreement with our project engineering firm. Under the development agreement,
the project engineering firm is to provide design engineering services.
It is intended that Pacesetter Management Group, LLC, a company affiliated
with the project engineering firm, will manage five of our ethanol production
facilities, including the Manchester facility. However, we have not
yet executed a formal agreement with Pacesetter in this regard. Our
management has begun the process of selecting the construction firm
that will be hired by us to build the Manchester facility. As of the
date hereof, we have not entered into any contract with any such construction
firm. However, with the respect to the Manchester facility, we have
entered into working relationships with two construction firms, one
based in Minnesota, the other in Wisconsin, as we continue the process
of completing the design of the Manchester facility.