Sep 12, 2024
Gevo, Inc. (NASDAQ: GEVO), a leading developer of net-zero hydrocarbon fuels and chemicals, is pleased to announce that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the ethanol production plant and carbon capture and sequestration (“CCS”) assets of Red Trail Energy, LLC (“Red Trail Energy”) for $210 million.
Acquisition highlights:
The Adjusted EBITDA1 from Red Trail Energy ethanol and CCS assets, when combined with Adjusted EBITDA1 from Gevo’s renewable natural gas (“RNG”) business, and other businesses, including Verity, is expected to make Gevo’s Adjusted EBITDA positive in 2025.
The purchase price includes the ethanol production asset and the CCS asset. Gevo expects that its capability of marketing carbon abatement in conjunction with delivery of advanced liquid fuels should deliver superior value to shareholders.
This acquisition is consistent with Gevo’s strategy while providing an ideal Net-Zero site for future sustainable aviation fuel (“SAF”) production that is well positioned to serve the U.S. and Canadian markets.
Synergistic with Gevo’s Net-Zero 1 SAF project in Lake Preston, South Dakota, by providing access to a wholly owned CCS site and additional supply of low carbon intensity (“CI”) ethanol.
The acquisition includes existing CCS assets with total sequestration capacity of 1 million metric tons per year, of which 160,000 metric tons per year are currently being utilized. This site could accommodate many future Net-Zero-type and related projects.
Accelerates Gevo’s fundamental capabilities related to feedstock procurement, plant operations, and the business of carbon abatement, which are expected to benefit Net-Zero 1 and other future SAF projects.
MANAGEMENT COMMENTARY
Gevo CEO, Dr. Patrick Gruber:
“We accomplish several things with this investment. It immediately puts us on a path to becoming self-sustaining and profitable as a company in advance of our Net-Zero 1 project’s commercial operation. Not only are we securing an excellent site for additional SAF asset deployment, but we also mitigate risk around carbon sequestration regarding our Net-Zero 1 plant site in South Dakota. This acquisition gives us the opportunity to build capability as a company and is a terrific training ground for our Net-Zero 1 project, as we inherit a trained cadre of employees who understand plant operations.”
“Carbon abatement for fuels and chemicals is core to our business. This acquisition enables immediate market development for sequestered carbon. We expect our ownership of these assets to generate significant near-term and long-term value for our shareholders, while adding new jobs and economic growth to rural communities in the region.”
Red Trail Energy CEO, Jodi Johnson:
“We are proud of what we have accomplished at Red Trail Energy and are excited about the future under Gevo’s leadership. Gevo’s vision for a sustainable future aligns with our philosophy of ‘our farms, our fuel, our future.’ We are confident this acquisition will drive positive change in the renewable energy sector.”
Gevo President and COO, Dr. Chris Ryan:
“As Net-Zero 1 and other production facilities come online, the infrastructure and resources that we will have acquired in North Dakota offer tremendous flexibility for how we might operate in the area. We believe this site is ideal for production of sustainable aviation fuel using Gevo’s integrated alcohol-to-jet technology and defossilized energy, combined with CCS. The CCS well gives us optionality for our Net-Zero 1 carbon sequestration needs. The regional synergies with Net-Zero 1, our development facility in Luverne, Minnesota, and our RNG operations in Northwest Iowa, are fantastic.”
“These assets and their operating team have a strong track record of safe and reliable operations and financial performance. We plan to immediately begin optimizing the asset with partners through combined heat and power, which will further lower the carbon intensity and increase annual carbon sequestration. This not only decarbonizes the current ethanol production further, but also enables the site for net-zero SAF and chemical production.
“I want to welcome the employees of the Red Trail Energy facilities to the Gevo family. We look forward to building upon your cultural commitment to safety, regulatory compliance, operational excellence, and rural communities. I also want to thank our advisors, all of whom were integral in supporting this transaction, positioning Gevo to embark on this exciting phase in the growth of our company.”
ABOUT GEVO
Gevo’s mission is to convert renewable energy and biogenic carbon into sustainable fuels and chemicals with a net-zero or better carbon footprint. Gevo’s innovative technology can be used to make a variety of products, including SAF, motor fuels, chemicals, and other materials. Gevo’s business model includes developing, financing, and operating production facilities for these renewable fuels and other products. It currently runs one of the largest dairy-based RNG facilities in the United States. It also owns the world’s first production facility for specialty ATJ fuels and chemicals. Gevo emphasizes the importance of sustainability by tracking and verifying the carbon footprint of their business systems through its Verity subsidiary.
Gevo believes that the Argonne National Laboratory GREET model is the best available standard of scientific-based measurement for life cycle inventory or LCI.
Learn more at Gevo’s website: www.gevo.com
Read the original press release here.