POET MN Plant Shut After Explosion

STREATOR, Ill. (DTN) -- POET's 45-million-gallon-per-year ethanol production plant in Albert Lea, Minnesota, was shut after an explosion and fire early Sunday, June 21, morning that left two employees injured.

"There is no estimate yet on when it will resume operation," Matt Merritt, POET director of public relations, told DTN Tuesday morning.

"At 3:17 a.m. Sunday, there was a fire incident in the dryer area at POET Biorefining -- Glenville," said Steve McNinch, general manager of the plant. "Damage was limited to one area, and the main operating units of the plant were unaffected."

McNinch said the incident remains under investigation and the injuries were not "life threatening."

POET is one of the largest ethanol producers in the United States with a total annual capacity of 1.7 billion gallons and 9 billion pounds of animal feed through distillers grains.

Myke Feinman can be reached at myke.feinman@dtn.com

(BM/AG)

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