Blue Flint Ethanol

Blue Flint Ethanol is named for the blue flint corn grown by the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Indian tribes that once lived in the Missouri River Valley, near the Blue Flint site. Today, Blue Flint Ethanol plans to use corn harvested in the same area as feedstock for its ethanol production, turning an ancient grain into modern automotive fuel.

Welcome to Blue Flint Ethanol, a joint venture between Great River Energy (GRE) and Headwaters Incorporated. In what could become a model for coal and nuclear fueled power plants, or other industrial facilities producing large amounts of steam, Headwaters Inc. and GRE have opened the first co-located, directly integrated ethanol plant in the world. Production at the facility began in February of 2007.

The Blue Flint Ethanol Plant is adjacent to the Coal Creek Station; a GRE coal fueled power plant near Underwood, North Dakota. With no boiler in Blue Flint's 20 acre plant, the new ethanol production facility uses what is primarily waste heat from steam generated at Coal Creek Station to process 18 million bushels of corn into 50 million gallons of ethanol per year.

The project was recently recognized by North Dakota Governor John Hoeven as the states 2006 "Project of the Year".



		The Blue Flint Ethanol facility is unique in the industry. Most ethanol plants are built with a natural gas-fueled boiler to provide heat for drying. As natural gas prices have increased in recent years, coal-fueled plants have become more common. However, Blue Flint does not have a boiler. Instead, waste heat from the adjacent Coal Creek power plant is redirected to Blue Flint to supply all the heat that a boiler would provide. The result is one of the industry’s most energy efficient, environmentally friendly facilities.