SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dec. 14, 2009) – POET CEO Jeff Broin arrived in Copenhagen to join global biofuel and agriculture leaders in a discussion about how biofuels can be deployed sustainably, achieve rapid reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, reduce fossil fuel use and spur development.

The Danish Climate Consortium side event Wednesday titled “The Global Potential of Biofuels” will feature a panel discussion with Broin and these global biofuels leaders:

- Milkyas Debebe, Managing Director, Gaia Association, Ethiopia
- Yue Guojun, Assistant President, China National Cereal, Oil & Foodstuff Corporation (COFCO), China
- Niels Henriksen, CEO, Inbicon, Denmark
- Marcos Jank, President and CEO, UNICA, Brazil
- Luciano Pizzatto, Federal Deputy, Brazilian Parliament, Brazil
- Steen Riisgaard, President and CEO, Novozymes, Denmark
- Ajay Vashee, President, International Federation of Agricultural Producers, France

Keynote speaker is Growth Energy Co-Chair General Wesley Clark.

“Biofuels are such an important part of any climate discussion, and I look forward to the opportunity to share with global leaders what this industry means for the United States and its potential for the world,” Broin said.

POET is the largest ethanol producer in the world and is at the forefront of efforts to commercialize cellulosic ethanol. It plans to begin construction in 2010 on a 25 million-gallon-per-year commercial cellulosic ethanol plant that will make ethanol from corn cobs.

“What we’ve done in the United States is only a glimpse at what the future will hold,” Broin said. “With more than a billion tons of biomass available in the U.S., there is significant potential to displace large quantities of fossil fuels. And since cellulose is the most common organic compound on the face of the earth, the worldwide potential is staggering.”

The keynote speech and panel discussion will take place at the Bella Center in Copenhagen from 3-4 p.m. Central European Time.

Jeff Broin's comments are linked below.

About POET
POET, the largest ethanol producer in the world, is a leader in biorefining through its efficient, vertically integrated approach to production. The 20-year-old company produces more than 1.54 billion gallons of ethanol annually from 26 production facilities nationwide. POET recently started up a pilot-scale cellulosic ethanol plant, which uses corn cobs as feedstock, and will commercialize the process in Emmetsburg, Iowa. For more information, visit http://www.poet.com.

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