An ethanol plant in Lamberton is celebrating the completion of a phase which will allow them the ability to produce a new renewable fuel in the future.

Highwater Ethanol in Lamberton has checked off one big to–do item off their checklist.

The plant has been working with Butamax Advanced Biofuels since 2011 to create a product called biobutanol.

The transition will take three phases, and today, everyone involved celebrated the completion of phase one.

Highwater Ethanol, CEO, Brian Kletscher says, "Our potential here to produce butanol is our next phase we're going to be on the cutting edge of new technology for a new fuel for the United States. The opportunities are very large for the ethanol industry to produce this ethanol product for the fuel industry."

Rep. Colin Peterson says, "It will allow them to do the biobutanol which is called a drop in fuel which has the same carbon, almost as oil or gasoline. So it can be mixed in with gasoline and not have the same issues we have with ethanol and E10 and so forth."

Back in October of last year, Highwater Ethanol began installing Butamax technology. Constructing through the brutal winter to get the project closer to completion.

Peterson says, "This could have big implications for the future. If biobutanol works and takes off, there could be significantly more corn going into motor fuel than what we're currently doing with the plants we have built right now."

Getting closer to creating another renewable fuel that they say we could one day rely on.

Highwater Ethanol says phase two will be the addition of the butanol technology and says that are currently in negotiations with Butamax to take the next step forward. 

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